So Close Yet So Far
by Spectrum24
Summary: What happens when quidditch and books clash?  A year and more of Ginny and Hermione's trials at Hogwarts in the search for good grades, quidditch wins, and perhaps a bit of one another.  Ginny/Hermione
1. Chapter 1

AN: I do not own any of the characters used in this story. The characters are from the Harry Potter series owned by the talented J.K. Rowling.

Chapter 1

"Gah!"

Ginny let out an exuberant laugh as she took in the sight of her brother who had just singed part of an eyebrow off during their game of Exploding Snap.

"It's not funny," Ron remarked sternly as he grew red in the face, more likely from embarrassment than annoyance.

Ginny smirked unsympathetically. "You should know that card always explodes. It's happened loads of time before."

"Oh, just shut it," the redheaded boy mumbled as he rubbed the patch of singed skin.

"Mum, could probably fix it, you know," Ginny offered with masked kindness in her voice.

"No!" he cried. "She said she'd have my head if she had to patch me up again." The boy's face grew sick with worry at the thought of their formidable, yet mostly loving, mother.

"Patch you up how? What's happened now?"

The youngest Weasley turned her head to look over her shoulder at the sound of an admonishing voice cutting in.

"Hermione!" Ron greeted in surprise as he stood. "I thought you weren't able to come until this evening."

"My parents had to switch flights and – What in Merlin's name happened to your eyebrow?" Hermione asked as she studied Ron's unfortunate brow.

The boy's face grew red once more, the tinge now reaching his ears under the scrutinizing gaze of one of his best friends.

"Well, Ginny and I were playing Exploding Snap, and uh, well-"

"Honestly, Ronald," the brunette said before digging her wand out of her bag and flourishing it before her friend's face.

Ron's eyes followed the movements of Hermione's wand, a mixture of puzzlement and nervousness evident in his features. He let out a small gasp as the missing portion of his eyebrow popped back into place.

"How'd you do that!" He exclaimed as he touched his newly repaired brow and tried in vain to look at it.

A frown crossed his friend's face as she tucked her wand into her back pocket. "It's a simple charm spell, Ron. We learned it in third year," she explained in a curt manner.

"Yeah, I know that. But you cast it nonverbally," Ron retorted.

Hermione waved off the comment. "It's in our textbook for Charms this year – chapter four. The lesson focuses on how to cast nonverbal spells."

"Blimey. You won't even need to come to class for the first half of the term," he said.

Hermione gave Ron a look of confusion. "Why wouldn't I need to come to class?"

Ron merely rolled his eyes with a laugh. "Nevermind. Do you need help taking your bags upstairs?" he asked as he began reaching for Hermione's bags.

Before Hermione had a chance to answer, Ginny, who had been observing amusedly this whole time, shot in front of Ron, reaching for the older witch's bags.

"I've got them. I don't want you wandering around in my room," Ginny declared as she hoisted the bags off the floor while giving Ron a threatening stare.

Throwing his hands up in defence, Ron backed off. "Bet Mum wishes you were always this helpful."

Ginny shot her brother a withering look, earning a muffled chuckle from her friend.

Ginny looked over, her glare replaced with a small smile, at Hermione who had made a point of now looking away from the two siblings.

"Here, Ginny, let me take one of them," Hermione offered as she turned back to face the redheaded girl.

"No, it's alright," Ginny assured her with a grin as she walked towards the stairs.

With little effort, Ginny climbed the multiple flights of stairs up to her room where she deposited her friend's bags beside the spare bed her mother had set up early that morning. A few moments later, Hermione walked in looking slightly winded, but putting in a valiant effort to appear otherwise. The brilliant witch had many strengths, but athletics had never been one of them. Her cat Crookshanks trotted in just behind her and proceeded to make himself at home, sitting on the spare bed and looking up at his owner expectantly.

"Thanks," she breathed, as she not so casually placed her hands on her hips to perch herself upright.

A smirk crossed Ginny's lips that she quickly restrained. "Sure, no problem."

Ginny walked the few steps across her small room to where her own bed was situated. She sat down and gestured for Hermione to do the same on hers, to which the brunette gratefully obliged.

"So," Ginny said, "how were your holidays?"

Hermione smiled. "They were great, thank you. I got to go to Spain with my parents. The weather was incredibly hot, but the country is really quite beautiful. I especially enjoyed Barcelona."

The redhead returned her friend's smile and nodded, "That sounds wonderful."

"What about you, Ginny? What did you get up to?" Hermione asked.

Ginny shrugged her shoulders in response. "Not much, really. Played quidditch, spent time with Bill and Charlie when they came by for a visit, worked at Fred and George's shop a few times a week. Oh, and I made time to study," Ginny noted pointedly with a nod.

A proud smile appeared on Hermione's face as she replied enthusiastically, "That's excellent, Ginny! Oh, you'll love fifth year. Studying for O.W.L.s is a huge task, but it's worth it and so satisfying afterward."

Ginny couldn't help but laugh affectionately upon seeing the look of pure glee on Hermione's face at the mere mention of studying. It would be near impossible to find anyone else in the entire school that could be so enthusiastic about studying, particularly for O.W.L.s.

"I'll take your word for it," Ginny laughed before continuing on, "And you do realize that you're going to be my living, breathing, encyclopedia this year, right? At least when you're not studying for N.E.W.T.s, yes, I know you're studying for them already."

Hermione looked at Ginny as though what she said was the obvious thing in the world. "Why wouldn't I be studying for N.E.W.T.s?" The redhead just smiled and shook her head. "And you know I'd be happy to help you study."

Ginny looked across the room at Hermione sitting on the bed, offering her a smile of thanks.

"_Damn_," Ginny thought. She had worked very hard this summer to ignore the feelings inside of her, the feelings that were rolling around in her stomach right now as she looked at the older witch.

For a couple of years, Ginny had been relatively well aware of the fact that she fancied women. She had yet to tell anyone of this revelation, but the knowledge and acceptance was there. She experienced no chaotic internal struggle, just the realization one day that she was thinking of girls the way that her female friends were thinking about boys. Not a big deal. What _was_ a big deal was that these feelings of fancying women had been hopelessly spent on one, Miss Hermione Granger.

Ginny had long respected and admired her friend, but sometime during third year these feelings of friendship began to evolve into something much deeper, and sadly, more problematic. Ginny had talked herself out of the reality of the situation various times, but the night of the Yule Ball, there was no fooling even the most gullible part of herself into believing that she was eyeing the brunette in a platonic manner. It wasn't even just the physical attraction part that Ginny couldn't deny, it was the deep seated jealousy that she felt towards Victor Krum, and even her own brother. No, friends did not think of other friends in such a way.

Not wanting to make a move at the time, yet not wanting to distance herself either, Ginny had quickly resigned herself to maintaining the status quo. However, there did tend to be moments where Ginny would push her luck with Hermione and try to blur the boundaries of their friendship just a little bit. The younger witch wanted to keep pushing, but the thought of scaring the brunette away absolutely terrified Ginny. She had to proceed with caution.

"Are you alright?"

"Huh?" Ginny snapped out of her musings at Hermione's interruption. She scrambled to recollect herself. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Was just thinking about something I read for Astronomy."

"Oh, what is it? Maybe I can help," Hermione offered as she sat up furthermore.

Ginny mind raced as she tried to recall something from her Astronomy textbook.

"I was struggling with how to chart Jupiter...I heard you have to fill out a sky chart for your O.W.L. exam...," Ginny answered a lot more slowly than she had hoped for.

The older witch's eyes lit up before she responded, "I'll show you. If it's dark enough out, we should be able to see it without a telescope, but either way, once we get to Hogwarts I'll help you. Astronomy is really very interesting in fifth year; I think you'll enjoy it."

"Thanks," Ginny replied, burying the excitement that was building at the thought of spending more time with her brainy friend.

"I'm so glad you put more effort into your studies than your brother. I swear, I don't know how he got through his O.W.L.s," Hermione said in latent disbelief.

Ginny simply nodded her head at the mention of her brother. Ron, Ron, Ron...Ginny had spent a fair amount of time pondering how Hermione felt for the elder Weasley. Ginny at least knew that most everyone expected Hermione and Ron to date, and were surprised when he ended up dating Katie Bell just before summer started. Though Katie and Ron eliminated half of Ginny's potential problem, them being an item may not have done anything to diminish any feelings that Hermione had for Ron, if they did exist.

"He can be quite lazy, can't he?" Ginny ventured. "Do you ever find it irritating?"

Hermione scoffed, "Ginny, you _know_ his study habits drive me up the wall. He refuses to study or do his work ahead of time, and then he comes to me for help the night before the assignment is due."

"Yeah, unbelievable," the younger Weasley agreed. "I'm still amazed that Katie puts up with him."

Ginny watched closely to see how Hermione would react to the bait.

The brunette put a finger to her chin and looked up at the ceiling in contemplation. "It is interesting. They do have quidditch in common...though I can't say much more; I don't know Katie particularly well."

Ginny tried to interpret Hermione's response regarding Ron and Katie. She didn't get worked up, that was a good sign...she wasn't catty or bitter. Though Ginny did pick up on something when Hermione mentioned quidditch, but she couldn't determine just what she had noticed.

"Well, all that matters is that they're happy," Hermione said as she got off the bed and began unpacking a few of her things.

"Yeah, that's true," Ginny concurred. She saw an opportunity in their conversation to probe a bit deeper on the topic. "Hey, Hermione?"

"Hm?" Hermione responded as she continued rummaging through her bag.

"Do you ever still talk with Victor?" Ginny asked as nonchalantly as possible, even pre-emptively avoiding the eye contact that she knew was coming. Sure enough, Hermione snapped her head towards Ginny.

"Victor? I haven't talked with him in months. Why?" She asked suspiciously.

"I thought you fancied him, that's all," Ginny replied, anticipating Hermione's reaction once more, but knowing she'd just have to suffer through it to get to the final point.

"Ginny, I told you last summer that the thing with Victor fizzled out. He lives in Bulgaria, for goodness sakes. Plus, I just wasn't interested," she stated as she returned her attention to a shirt she was folding.

"Right, sorry," the redhead replied quickly. "Okay, so Victor's out of the picture. Anyone new in sight?" Again, Ginny did her absolute best to not sound anxious.

Hermione glanced back at Ginny momentarily with a look halfway between uncomfortable and annoyed. "No, I can't say there is. I don't exactly have time right now to devote to pursuing someone or being in a relationship. My future career relies almost entirely upon my N.E.W.T.s results; the last thing I want is to be distracted."

"Fair enough," Ginny replied. She wasn't quite content with Hermione's answer though, and probed on. "You know, Ron used to fancy you quite a bit."

To Ginny's surprise, the brunette let out a laugh. Not an awkward or embarrassed laugh, but an amused one.

"Yes, I'm well aware," Hermione said, still putting away clothes. "But, thankfully, he appears to be over that whole thing now. I think he just fancied me because I was the only girl he ever really got up the nerve to talk to. Being on the quidditch team certainly boosted his confidence; it's been quite good for him."

"So you don't care?" Ginny questioned, forfeiting the effort required to cover up her confusion over Hermione's reaction.

The brunette turned around to look at Ginny, a bemused look on her face. "Are you getting at what I think you're getting at?" Ginny just gave her a blank stare, causing Hermione to laugh once more. "Ginny," she said patiently, "I don't like your brother."

The younger witch blushed deeply at being caught. She quickly tried to process an explanation that would get her out of this little jumble, but couldn't come up with much beyond playing the 'sibling' card.

She was about to stumble through her response when Hermione spoke up again.

"I know people expected us to get together, but we're just really good friends, you know? I truly can't think of Ron that way. And don't think you're getting off scott-free, it's my turn now."  
Ginny did her best to not visibly gulp as panic began to constrict her throat.

"Are you excited for Saturday?" the brunette asked as she pulled a book out of her near-empty bag and sat down on the bed.

Ginny quirked an eyebrow in question, "What's on Saturday?"

Hermione gave her friend a look of minor disappointment before explaining in an exasperated manner, "Harry's coming!"

"Oh," Ginny blushed once more.

Most might have thought her reaction was due to the mention of Harry's arrival, who Ginny had long ago worshipped, and they would be right to some degree. But really, she was more embarrassed about the fact that she _didn't_ know when he was coming.

"Well, I suppose that answers my question then," Hermione stated as she opened her book to where her bookmark lay.

A small laugh escaped Ginny's throat. "Yeah, sorry, my obsession with Harry is long gone. I thought that would've been clear by now."

"Yes, I figured as much, but I thought I'd check," Hermione replied somewhat distracted as she scanned the pages before her. "And no need to be sorry, you're better off, seems like he's quite interested in Luna these days."

Ginny smiled at the mention of her Ravenclaw friend and felt the urge to send her friend an owl at receiving this update. Luna had informed Ginny last year that she did in fact have feelings for the boy-who-lived, and personally, Ginny thought the two of them would be quite a cute match.

"That's great news," Ginny confirmed. "I won't be surprised if they're together by the time Christmas rolls around."

Hermione smiled knowingly. "I thought she liked him. Hopefully this upcoming relationship doesn't prevent him from focusing on his studies. He'll need to do well on his N.E.W.T.s if he wants to be an auror."

"He'll be fine," Ginny assured her with a laugh.

"And what about you, Gin? Is there anyone who's going to take away from your studies?" The brunette teased.

Ginny narrowed her eyes at the older girl with mock irritation. "No, Hermione," she assured her in the same mocking manner. "My life will be fully dedicated to studying...and quidditch."

Hermione looked up from her book and gave Ginny a reproachful stare. "Honestly, am I the only one who doesn't live and breathe quidditch?"

"Probably," Ginny replied with no hesitation, earning her a pillow-projectile which she easily dodged. "See, right there, quidditch skills in action. If I can dodge a bludger, I can certainly dodge a pillow. You, on the other hand..."

Hermione squealed as she was hit in the chest with the same pillow she had just thrown.

"Ginny!" She yelled.

Guessing from the restrained smile on Hermione's face, Ginny figured she wasn't too deep in trouble.

Hermione quickly set her book off to the side as she swiftly got up from the bed, pillow in hand and rushed at Ginny.

A look of alarm sprung onto the redhead's face as Hermione crossed over to her in the three or four steps required to reach her bed. Ginny put her hands up to block the oncoming assault and grabbed the pillow when it made contact with her hands. The brunette hadn't let go of the pillow either, so their pillow fight had now turned into a tug-of-war.

Ginny couldn't get any decent leverage from her sitting position on the bed, but even then she could still overpower the brunette had she wanted to. This sudden development had presented Ginny with some great opportunities for blurring those lines of friendship, and she quickly ran through the possibilities in her mind.

The young athlete made her decision with a sharp tug. Somewhere deep inside her mind, her conscience was scolding her, but she'd worry about that later. Right now, the witch of her affections had just fallen partway on top of her, and to her amazement, was still laughing and playing along.

"Ginny!" The brunette yelled again as she sat up enough to swat Ginny repeatedly on the arm, drawing further giggles from the redhead.

"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry, I give up," Ginny laughed as she tried to grab at Hermione's hands that were still landing light blows.

"Hmph," Hermione said with mock pride.

As the brunette ceased her assault, Ginny became aware that she was essentially holding Hermione's hands. She looked at Hermione with what she imagined was a look of panic, only to see Hermione studying her curiously.

"Girls! Dinner's ready!"

Hermione practically leapt off Ginny and had nearly collided into Ginny's dresser in her alarm. Ginny bolted upright and got off the bed, ensuring to keep a few feet of space between herself and the older witch.

"Sorry about that...You okay?" Ginny asked.

Hermione's eyes darted around the room, landing anywhere but on Ginny, as she stuttered through a reply. "Oh, um, that's fine. It's not – don't worry. Dinner, your mother called us." And with that, the anxious girl made a hasty exit from the room that felt suddenly smaller.

Ginny's shoulders slumped and she sighed heavily. What had just happened? The young Weasley ran through the past few minutes' events in her mind, trying her best to comprehend everything. Had she and Hermione had a 'moment'? What was she supposed to do now?

As she trudged down the stairs to the dining room, she couldn't help but pray that this wasn't going to be a trend for this year.

"Ginny, darling!" Her mother called to her as Ginny walked into the room, trying her best to conceal her recent moodiness. "Have a seat, dear. The meatloaf is still hot, so be careful."

Ginny scanned the seating at the table and saw that the only seats open were next to Hermione and one directly across from her. Reflecting on what had happened moments ago upstairs, Ginny opted to sit opposite the brunette, who had not yet acknowledged Ginny's presence. Ginny settled into the seat next to her brother, George, who along with Fred had come home for a couple of days.

"What's with the sullen face, Gin?" George asked in a teasing manner as he ribbed her while reaching for a bun off of the table.

"Nothing," she replied flatly. "Why are you in such a good mood?" she asked with suspicion, knowing full well from the mischievous look on his face that he was up to something.

"Nothing," he responded airily.

Ginny glared at her brother and reached for a bun as well. She jerked her hand back when it made contact with someone else's.

Eyes widening in surprise and sharply turning her attention forward, she took in the sight of Hermione pulling her hand back as well. The brunette's cheeks were beginning to glow a pale pink and she had shifted her gaze to the upper corner of the room, a tense look on her face.

"Sorry," the youngest Weasley mumbled. "Go ahead."

"Oh, no," Hermione eyes flickered towards Ginny before focusing on her plate, "I'm quite alright. You go ahead."

Ginny tentatively reached out and grabbed a still-warm bun and began to butter it. Her eyes remained on Hermione, who seemed determined to focus all of her energy and attentiveness towards the food on her plate.

Losing interest, Ginny looked around the table to see Fred and George stifling laughs around mouthfuls of food, and to see Ron chomping down on an oversized mouthful of food, but staring at her with a perplexed look on his face.

"What!" Ginny snapped.

"No'-in'!" Ron did his best to snap back around the food in his mouth. He swallowed. "You're nutters..."

"Shut up, Ron," Ginny muttered as she began cutting into a piece of meatloaf.

"Ginny!" her mother scolded.

With sorry eyes, the teenage girl mumbled brief apologies to her mother and brother.

The remainder of the dinner was quiet and uneventful. Hermione had eaten very little, despite much encouragement from Mrs. Weasley to help herself to multiple servings, and instead had begun to help Mrs. Weasley clean up.

Ginny was the last to finish her dinner and brought her empty plate into the kitchen along with any remaining food that was out on the table.

"Thank you, dear," her mother said as she took some of the load out of Ginny's hands.

Hermione was at the sink rinsing off some plates in the muggle-fashion. Ginny walked up next to her, grabbing a towel and began drying the plates that Hermione had set down.

The brunette looked over at her newly arrived partner with some level of surprise in her eyes. "Ginny," she said. "Oh, you don't have to help if you don't want. I'm nearly done."

"No, it's fine," Ginny said as affably as she could.

A moment of silence passed; the air still slightly heavy between them.

"You must think I'm crazy," Hermione spoke up, "doing this the muggle way. I know your mom thinks I'm a little crazed."

Ginny followed Hermione's gaze to look at her mother who had now left the kitchen and was using magic to clean the table.

"Mm, not at all," Ginny said seriously. "Sometimes magic is unnecessary. Besides, this is kind of relaxing."

Hermione looked at Ginny in amused awe, drawing a laugh out of the redhead.

"Not saying I would do it the muggle way all the time," she said pointedly, "but it does serve its purposes. And I don't think you're crazy."

"Thank you, Ginny," Hermione said warmly, an appreciative smile on her face.

Several minutes later, Ginny and Hermione dried their hands and walked out of the kitchen. Ginny felt slightly rejuvenated after the friendly conversation she and Hermione had had. Things seemed to have more or less returned to normal and Ginny silently thanked Merlin for it.

Ginny looked outside and saw that the weather had remained cooperative and the sun was still high in the sky. Turning to face Hermione, Ginny spoke.

"Hey, did you want to go for a walk? The weather's really nice right now," she suggested hopefully.

Hermione looked out the window for a moment and nodded her head. "Sure, Gin. Looks lovely outside."

"Great," Ginny smiled.

The girls headed upstairs to Ginny's room to grab their jackets, at Ginny's suggestion in case the weather turned. They then walked out across the field and over the hill, the rays of the sun beaming down and warming their skin. They talked more about Hermione's trip to Spain and Ginny's hopes for the quidditch team this year.

"-I've been practicing a lot this summer with Ron, Fred and George. I don't think they went easy on me, in fact, I think they were harder on me than they would have typically been. So, I'm feeling pretty good. I-"

Ginny turned around to see Hermione a number of feet behind her looking nervous. Ginny looked down at the ground and between them, there was a small creek, about 15 feet wide with a fallen tree lying across it. Ginny had crossed the creek using the log without so much as a thought. She had been across it so frequently that she didn't even notice it anymore.

"It's safe," she assured Hermione, who took a few hesitant steps towards the log.

"I'm not sure, Ginny," Hermione shook her head. "What if I slip?" She looked down, "I don't fancy falling in."

Ginny looked down at the water that was going along at a leisurely pace. Falling in wouldn't have been a big deal at all. She knew the creek to be shallow at this point in the crossing; she had even waded across the creek a few times just for kicks.

"If I could apparate," Hermione continued, "this would easy."

Ginny laughed lightly at the brunette's unnecessary concern. "It's okay. Really. You'll be fine."

She walked out onto the fallen tree just to show Hermione that it wasn't a big deal. If anything, Hermione looked even more worried now. "Ginny, get off of there, it's dangerous!" the brunette scolded as she pointed to the ground next to her in emphasis.

Ginny couldn't help it, she stuck her leg out to gesture that she was going to walk off.

"Don't! Get over here!"

The redhead laughed good naturedly and crossed the rest of the way over to Hermione's side of the bank. She continued to smile despite the unimpressed glare she received from her friend.

"Honestly, Ginny. You're terrible sometimes. You must've spent too much time with Fr-"

Hermione's admonishment was cut off when she let out a shriek. Ginny had rolled her eyes partway through the brunette's speech and had swiftly scooped the older girl up in her arms. The time that Ginny had devoted to playing quidditch had served her body well and carrying the petite brunette was of little difficulty for her. She stepped up on the log. The brunette now gripped her tightly around the back of the neck and yelled threats intermittently between more squeals of fear.

"Easy now, 'Mione," Ginny said in an exaggerated fashion, "You're making me nervous, I could lose my footing. And if you keep squirming I might lose my grip on you, that's a long way down...," she said as she made a point of looking to the water below.

Hermione's grip tightened more-so on Ginny, pressing her body further against the redhead's and Ginny could feel Hermione's hot breath on her neck. Another slew of hushed threats came out of the brunette's mouth as they finished their short journey to the other side. Admittedly, Ginny took her time walking across; she wanted to relish this moment of contact, feeling the brunette curl up against her sent a rush through her and had she not needed to focus on her footing, she would have given in to the light-headed feeling that wanted to wash over her.

Once safely on stable ground again, the young Weasley gently placed Hermione back on her feet. The fierce look that the older witch was giving her did little to diminish the grin on Ginny's face. She might have felt guilty about taxing the poor girl's nerves, but the slight blush of her cheeks and the flash of a smile that was quickly stamped out in favour of a stern frown let Ginny know that she hadn't quite gone too far. Hermione gave her a light slap on the arm for good measure anyway.

"I'm sorry," Ginny said, accompanied with a charming look.

Hermione 'hmphed' and stalked off dramatically, surely knowing that Ginny would follow.

With a laugh, the redhead caught up and leaned in a little, apologizing again, this time a little more extensively. The new apology seemed to satiate Hermione's mock anger and the two carried on down the path returning to their previous conversation.

Some while later, the girls reached their destination and Ginny sat down on the grass.

"Well, this was a bit more than a walk," Hermione stated in a low voice as she sat down a little heavily next to the redhead. She looked slightly dishevelled from their winding walk up, over, and all around to get here.

Ginny looked out ahead of her and could see the Burrow in the far off distance, a mere smudge on the landscape. They were now seated on top of the highest hill in the area surrounding the Weasley residence. The area was quiet, secluded and beautiful. Ginny had discovered it a few summers back and kept it to herself as a place that could be hers and hers alone. Growing up as a member of such a large family, having something like this where one could gather their own thoughts in complete peace was highly coveted and Ginny treasured it thoroughly. However, she wanted to share it with Hermione.

By now the sun was setting and a red-orange glow had been cast across the fields before them.

"Gosh, this is beautiful, Ginny," Hermione commented.

"It is," Ginny smiled. "Sorry about the trek. I usually fly over," at the mention of flying, Hermione gave Ginny a contemptuous look, "but, I know you don't like to fly. In all honesty, though, the walk only adds to the beauty of this place. Let's you clear your mind. Well, at least if someone isn't going off about quidditch in your ear the whole time," she joked.

Hermione's look of disdain was replaced with a faint, crooked grin.

"It wasn't so bad. Just don't make a habit of it," she warned playfully. "But really, thank you for showing me this place. It's wonderful. I don't get to see anything like this in the city," she lamented.

The girls sat in silence for a considerable amount of time. The silence wasn't one of awkwardness like they had experienced earlier in the day, this time it was comfortable and easy. Ginny lay on her back now, to look up at the darkened sky, passively taking in the constellations that sparkled before her.

A moment or so later, Hermione followed suite and lay out on her back as well, her dark, curly hair fanning out around her.

"You see that bright star over there? That should be Jupiter," the brunette said as she pointed her finger into the air and to their left.

"Hm?" Ginny asked, somewhat dazed, a little slow to come out of her thoughts.

"Jupiter," Hermione repeated, "You said you were having trouble finding it. It's right over there. It's in Taurus for now."

As Hermione pointed again, she leaned further into it in emphasis, and in doing so was now brushing up against Ginny, her arm reaching over them.

Ginny had no idea where Hermione was pointing but leaned in and nodded her affirmation with words of interest. Encouraged, Hermione starting pointing out other various constellations and stars, giving detailed stats and historical information on each of them.

Ginny was listening to what her friend was saying, but wasn't really registering any of the information. She felt endearment swell inside of her at Hermione talking so vividly about astronomy and recalling such an incredible wealth of information so effortlessly.

Soon though, Ginny felt that increasingly familiar pang of sadness inside of her. Their walk, their conversations and just as much, the comfortable ease in which they could be together in silence, the romantic sunset, stargazing, the touching...tonight would have been so perfect, but a heavy knowledge loomed over Ginny. Despite tonight and despite Ginny's hoping, they were still just friends. Hermione Granger was just a friend.

"What's wrong, Gin?" Hermione asked, worried.

"What?" Ginny asked as she shook her head slightly. She hadn't realized that Hermione was now leaning over her, looking down with concern. Feeling suddenly vulnerable, the redhead forced a laugh and inched away from the other girl as inconspicuously as possible. "I'm fine, really."  
Hermione gave her a look that clearly expressed that she didn't believe a word of that.

Ginny sighed, exasperated, and avoided the brunette's prying eyes.

"I was just thinking," Ginny relented. "Not a big deal. So why was that moon named Phobos?"

"Don't change the subject," Hermione said firmly. "Something's bothering you. You've been acting off this whole day. Now, what is it?"

She was caught. Ginny racked her brain in search of a viable excuse. Multiple solid possibilities developed in her mind, but a strong feeling was pushing itself out from deep within her, and quite frankly, Ginny did not like what it was encouraging her to do.

In her effort to conjure up an excuse, Ginny had taken long enough to respond that Hermione's concern had grown further.

"Is it serious?" The brunette's brows furrowed with worry as she questioned her friend once more. "You can tell me anything, you know that, right? I'm here for you."

Ginny nodded internally. There was a reason she was sorted into Gryffindor, and she was about to prove once more that her sorting had been correct.

She sat up, and in doing so, made sure to put a few more inches between herself and Hermione, creating the buffer she desired. She looked to Hermione with a determined look on her face and stared into the brunette's dark eyes for a moment. Inside, a large part of her was jumping up and down frantically yelling at her to stop, but the small ounce of bravery called out to her much louder.

"Hermione..."

"...Yes?"

"I'm gay."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Ginny waited for the hammer to drop. Hermione's look of severe worry had changed into a blank stare that was so very rarely seen on the girl's face.

Now it was Ginny's turn to feel anxious.

"Are you alright? I'm sorry...," she said slowly, as dejection crept into her voice.

Hermione suddenly snapped out of her trance and looked at Ginny in bewilderment.

"Don't be sorry. There's nothing to be sorry for, Ginny," the older witch declared in a firm voice.

"So...are you okay with this? You don't hate me or feel awkward or anything?"

"Of course not," Hermione replied with a gentle laugh. "You're my best friend, Ginny. And it's not like you said you were in love with me," she said with an added laugh that indicated that she thought the notion was ridiculous.

Ginny's heart plummeted and shattered soundlessly as it hit the ground.

"Right," she agreed, and used what felt like every ounce of strength to force out an easy laugh and grateful smile. "Thanks, I really appreciate that."

"Anytime," Hermione smiled.

Silence cloaked the girls once more, but this time Ginny didn't find the silence so comfortable. Her chest felt hollow and her mind raced, but always came back to linger on Hermione's words.

"_It's not like you said you were in love with me._"

Ginny knew that it was better than Hermione reacting with disgust or anger, but she couldn't help but wonder if that could have been easier to deal with. At least if Hermione had reacted with some sort of strong emotion, in times of pathetic desperation, Ginny could pretend that Hermione had done so in an effort to conceal her own budding romantic feelings for the youngest Weasley. Yeah...right. But with Hermione delivering such a statement so calmly and so clearly...there was no room for interpretation or hope.

Ginny scolded herself as she wallowed in remorse. She shouldn't have said anything. Not knowing was better than knowing, she knew this now. But, that small part of her that egged her on had hoped that perhaps confessing to being gay would have been confession enough. The most optimistic part of her brain had envisioned a scenario where she would confess her orientation to Hermione, and in turn, Hermione would confess the same. Those confessions would lead to further confessions and it would all culminate in them kissing and living happily ever after. Fool.

"We should probably get back-" Hermione's voice broke through Ginny's tempestuous thoughts. "-it's getting late."

Ginny nodded her assent and rose from her spot on the ground. She pulled out her wand, saying, "Lumos!" and led the way back through the winding paths.

"So," Hermione said brightly as they walked single file along the path, her a few steps behind the redhead. "Tell me, who do you **really** fancy then. Who's the lucky girl?"

For more than the first time during the walk was Ginny grateful for the fact that Hermione couldn't see her face. She scowled deeply at the question and mouthed a few less than couth words before replying, "I'm really not interested in anyone right now."

"You really don't think I'm going to fall for that, do you?" Hermione teased. "You can tell me, I won't say anything."

Ginny bit back a scoff as she continued walking.

"Honestly. I've been so distracted with quidditch, studying, and dealing with obnoxious brothers to really take much notice of any girl," she explained further, praying that Hermione would just drop the subject.

"I understand," Hermione empathized, "But, you must have had feelings for **someone** in order to notice that you were, well, into girls."

Ginny glowered once more at how Hermione side-stepped a little around the word 'gay'. She wouldn't have much cared in any other case, but this was Hermione and recent events had put her in a right foul mood. She breathed in and out in an effort to calm herself. It was somewhat successful as she felt a touch of the tension leaving her body.

"Well, I found some girls attractive, does that suffice?" Ginny replied, surprising herself with the edginess of her response.

"Oh..." Hermione seemed somewhat taken aback.

'_Don't ask, don't ask, don't ask,_' Ginny chanted in her head as she realized what door she had just opened.

"...like who?"

'_Dammit._'

Ginny quickly scrolled through a list of girls in her head. Even though Hermione had made it quite clear that a romantic relationship was nowhere in their future, Ginny still found herself considering her feelings when selecting the appropriate girls for the answer.

"Um...I don't know, Hermione," she said exasperated. "Um, Lisa Turpin...Leanne is okay...Ron didn't do so bad getting Katie Bell...," she listed off in a tired voice.

Ginny could hear Hermione's interested, "Hmm" coming from behind her, surely meaning that the brunette was composing a variety of assumptions from what Ginny had just told her. The redhead walked faster as her mood worsened. She'd feel better once they left this topic and returned, with any luck, to conversation topics that were a little less exposing.

As Ginny walked, she could see the creek ahead of her. It took a moment for her to register what this could possibly mean. Things could get a little complicated here and Ginny knew that she'd read far too much into it than she should.

The younger witch slowed her pace so that she was now walking beside Hermione. She wanted to gauge how Hermione would tackle the obstacle ahead.

Hermione paused momentarily in front of the fallen tree, probably pondering the same thing. Ginny grew hopeful and was about to step forward when the older witch stepped up onto the log and with one steady foot in front of the other, she crossed the creek.

Ginny's spirit dropped once again as Hermione reached the other side of the creek, completely unassisted. Sure, Ginny was proud of her for taking the challenge on, but Ginny also felt like this just added to her rejection.

Ginny crossed the creek promptly and forged on, once again taking the lead. The remainder of their walk took place in silence, with only the sounds of their steps, calm wind, and a few night creatures to fill the air.

When they finally entered the Burrow, Ron looked over at them from his spot by the fireplace. He greeted them with a smile, which quickly faded and he averted his gaze upon seeing the scowl on Ginny's face. Hermione was kinder though, greeting Ron courteously before following Ginny upstairs to their room.

By the time Hermione reached the room, Ginny had already gathered together her pyjamas and excused herself as she walked to the bathroom to change.

Ginny took her time getting ready for bed. It would just be too typical if she walked back into the bedroom to see Hermione only partially changed. She wanted to give the other girl plenty of time to get fully clothed, and also, this alone time gave Ginny a chance to compose herself before having to spend a night with her secret love interest.

Approaching the bedroom door, Ginny stood and knocked, awaiting a response.

"Come in!"

Ginny opened the door and walked in to her room, doing her best to remove any traces of the frown that had cemented itself on her face earlier in the evening.

"Cute pyjamas. I've never seen you wear those before," Hermione commented as she gathered up her toothbrush and her other night-time regimen items.

Ginny bristled at the compliment, but did her best to carry on unfazed.

"Oh, thanks. They were a gift from my Aunt Penelope."

Hermione smiled before reporting that she'd be back shortly and left for the bathroom.

Ginny shuffled over to her bed and collapsed ungracefully onto the worn mattress. She covered her face with her hands and groaned. After that minor outburst, she got under the covers and pulled them up until they were tucked tightly under her chin. She rested her eyes, knowing she wouldn't fall asleep before Hermione got back.

A few minutes later, Ginny heard footsteps, the door creaking shut and the light in the room died as the lantern was extinguished. Still not opening her eyes, the redhead heard Hermione climbing into the bed a few feet away. She did her best to fight off the impending depression that the awkward silence was bringing forth.

"Goodnight, Ginny," Hermione called softly.

"...Goodnight," Ginny replied with some reluctance. There was still much she wanted to say, but she wasn't sure if now was the right time. However, Ginny was not typically one to not speak her mind.

"Are we still friends?" She ventured.

She heard Hermione sit up in her bed.

"Of course, Ginny."

The younger witch finally opened her eyes and looked over to see Hermione watching her, once more her eyes clouded with concern.

"Just checking," Ginny replied softly.

"Ginny, this doesn't change things between us. You're still my best friend, and I support you. I want you to be happy."

"Thanks," was all Ginny could manage.

Hermione exhaled heavily in frustration. She swung her feet out of bed, took a step into the middle of the room and gestured for Ginny to get up. "Come on."

Uncertainly, Ginny pushed the covers off of her and got up to stand next to her bed.

Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes. "Come here," she instructed as she beckoned Ginny over.

Ginny studied the other girl for a second before taking a couple of steps forward to stand in front of her. She stood there, not entirely sure what to anticipate. She was surprised when she felt the brunette's arms go around her as she was pulled into a hug. The hug wasn't the big, passionate, romantic hug that Ginny had envisioned earlier, but this would certainly do for now.

The older witch pulled back a bit from their hug, her hands coming to rest on the sides of Ginny's arms.

"Don't worry, Gin. Please, it offends me when you think I'm so bigoted that I wouldn't be friends with you just because you're gay," she finished with a playful smile.

"I'm sorry," Ginny said with an appreciative laugh. "I was just...self-conscious. I should've known better though. Oh, and you're not a bigot."

"Thank you," Hermione said wryly. "You had me worried there.

"Well, it's quite late. We should try to get some sleep," she suggested gently.

Ginny suppressed a yawn that developed at the mention of sleep, sending the girls into a small fit of giggles as they each retreated to their respective beds.

"Thanks again, 'Mione," Ginny said sincerely. "Goodnight."

"You're more than welcome. Goodnight."

* * *

"Okay, be good, Ginny, dear," her mother cooed as she enveloped Ginny in a tight hug.

"Sure, mom," the young Weasley replied as she tried not to feel embarrassed.

"I want you to get prefect next year," her mother said as she wagged her finger in her daughter's face.

"Mum!" Ginny cried, her face growing red. She already felt a bit puzzled and offended at not being invited to be a prefect; she didn't exactly need her mother to make her feel worse.

"I know you're trying, dear," her mother continued on gently. "Focus on your O.W.L.s, please. I know you'll do great."

Ginny gave her mother a subdued glare. She knew her mother meant well, but she still didn't appreciate her efforts sometimes.

The whistle of the train blew loudly, drawing the attention of those on the platform.

"Well, off you go now," her mother said as she turned Ginny around and patted her on the back, gently pushing her towards the train. "Ron! Give your mother a hug before you leave!"

Ginny chuckled as she hopped onboard and looked back to see a very red Ron getting pulled into a hug. With a smile, Ginny walked down the corridor until she found the compartment she and Luna Lovegood had claimed earlier.

"Hi, Luna!" She called as she stepped in.

Inside the compartment were fellow fifth years Luna Lovegood, Demelza Robins, and Colin Creevy. They greeted her warmly as she sat next to Luna.

"I thought you'd be in the prefect compartment this year," Colin noted lightly as he looked at Ginny, earning him a dark stare from the redhead.

"No, Colin," she said deliberately, "in fact I am not in the prefect cabin this year."

He blushed, realizing that he had offended her, while the others chuckled lightly at the awkward exchange.

"Ron managed to get prefect again. No idea how he manages that...," Ginny complained as she reclined a bit in her seat, getting comfortable for the long journey ahead.

"I'm sure being best friends with Hermione doesn't hurt," Demelza offered lightly.

Ginny snorted. "Well, then that advantage probably should've worked for me too."

"You know," Luna interjected, her voice airy as always, "Ron is actually quite intelligent, as you are, Ginny," she added upon seeing the death stare Ginny had given her. "Perhaps Professor McGonagall sees potential in him."

"Fine, whatever," Ginny said, waving off Luna's observation and the topic altogether. "So, what did everyone get up to this summer?"

Ginny listened attentively as everyone gave accounts of their summer activities. Luna had been given a chance to intern at the Quibbler with her father, which she seemed to enjoy greatly. Demelza informed the group that she was hoping to join the quidditch team this year.

Ginny grew enthusiastic over talk of quidditch. She had no idea prior that Demelza was interested in quidditch. Ginny didn't know how formidable the girl would be on the pitch, but she guessed she'd find out.

Colin seemed to have had an eventful summer. He received much heckling and ribbing as he and Eleanor from Hufflepuff had started dating. He had just finished telling them how he had asked her out, and had in the process thoroughly impressed Ginny.

"Co-lin," Ginny called, drawing out his name. "I had no idea you had it in you. That is amazing! You can be quite a charmer," she said with a wink.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Colin muttered as averted his gaze, his face red as a beet. "What about you, Ginny? I heard Dean Thomas has a thing for you."

"Pff, please. That won't be going anywhere, believe me," Ginny responded as she rolled her eyes.

"What about Harry?" Demelza asked.

"Again, no potential there," Ginny replied, ignoring the look of quiet alarm coming from Luna. She glanced at Luna with a look that told her, 'we need to talk'.

"Well, then who do you like?" Demelza asked.

Ginny rolled her eyes in irritation. How many times was this stupid topic going to come up? She looked around the compartment at her companions, they were her friends to varying degrees, so she anticipated, or rather hoped, they would understand and be supportive.

"Well, there's no one in particular at the moment...," she started slowly. Her friends looked at her with expectant looks on their faces. "But, um, I'm definitely not interested in Harry or Dean..."

The group continued to stare at Ginny, their expressions showing that they were confused about where this was going.

"...I'm...more interested in girls...," she finally finished.

Colin's jaw dropped, his mouth forming a small 'O'.

"Great Nargles, Ginny, I thought you were going to tell us something we didn't know," Luna said with mild irritation.

"What?" Ginny said flatly as she turned in disbelief towards the blonde.

"Come on, we all knew. It was quite obvious," Luna explained in a more patient voice.

Ginny looked around at Demelza and Colin. Though Demelza didn't have quite the same expressive reaction as Colin did, Ginny could see that this was as much news to her as it was to him.

Luna followed her redheaded friend's gaze and took in the expressions on the other two's faces. "Oh, well, it was obvious to me."

The door to their compartment slid open just then, and the fifth years turned their attention to the figure in the doorway.

"Hello," Hermione greeted warmly. Crookshanks was winding his way around his owner's legs, purring all the while.

Ginny looked up to Hermione, smiled and nodded a 'hello' while the others greeted the sixth year as well. Ginny let out a little yelp of surprise as Crookshanks leapt up onto her lap – she had been too distracted to notice him approach.

"Well, don't end your conversation on account of me," Hermione stated. "I just had to get away from all the quidditch talk in the prefect compartment."

"Oh, there's been a bit of that here too," Luna responded sympathetically.

Hermione gave Ginny a knowing look, a smirk creeping across her lips, "Oh really, I can't imagine why.

"So, what were you guys talking about?"

The fifth years surrounding Ginny looked around at one another a bit panicked and unsure. Demelza stepped up to the plate and tried to cover for them.

"Uh...we were just-"

"It's okay, Demelza. Hermione knows," Ginny said, laughing a bit at the look of relief that flooded Demelza's face.

"I know what?" Hermione asked as she arched her eyebrow. She looked around at the younger students and it hit her. She looked at Ginny in surprise. "Ah, okay. I understand now. Ginny, I'm impressed."

"Oh, thanks," Ginny mumbled sheepishly as she dropped her gaze to the compartment floor, cursing the blush that was forming on her pale cheeks.

"Hermione, please, have a seat," Luna smiled warmly as she scooted over and patted the space between herself and Ginny. Hermione obliged and sat between the two fifth years and reached over to pet Crookshanks in Ginny's lap.

The redhead looked over at Luna and frowned when she saw the peculiar look the blonde was giving her. If Ginny was correct, there was a twinkle of mischief in the Ravenclaw's blue eyes. Luna gave Ginny a quick smile before turning her attention to Hermione and asking her how her summer was.

Oh yes, once they got to Hogwarts, Ginny would have to have a bit of a talk with Miss Luna Lovegood.

**AN**: I would just like to thank everyone for their generous reviews - hopefully this chapter did not disappoint! It will pick up more in the next chapter.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The first few days at Hogwarts had been hectic, but it felt good to back. Snape was no longer their Potions master, and was now the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, much to Harry's chagrin. Instead, they had a fellow named Horace Slughorn as their Potions professor. He was a bit strange, but a vast improvement over the menacing Snape – at least in Ginny's opinion.

Ginny was eating her breakfast with some fellow Gryffindors in the Great Hall, mulling over today's schedule. The thought of double Herbology made Ginny groan.

"Wha's wron'?" Ron asked through yet another mouthful of food.

Ginny looked up in distaste at her brother before responding, "Double Herbology."

Most at the table gave her a sympathetic look, except for Neville Longbottom. Neville was far and away the most enthusiastic Gryffindor, or possibly any Hogwarts student, when it came to Herbology.

Hermione, who was sitting a few seats over gave the group a disapproving look and said, "Herbology happens to be a very important subject. Harry, you should know this." She looked accusingly at a startled Harry – likely referring to his use of Gillyweed in fourth year.

"Oh, right, very important," Harry replied, clumsily recovering from the negative attention.

The youngest Weasley smiled. Hermione was always exceedingly kind to poor Neville...minus that body-binding incident in first year, but that was different.

"Well, I should be on my way," Hermione announced as she rose from the table. "I have Ancient Runes and I want to get a good seat."

Everyone at the table either rolled their eyes or bit back a laugh. Only Hermione would be concerned about such a thing.

"I should get going too; it's a bit of a trek to the greenhouses. I'll walk with you," Ginny said as she stood, grabbing her bag off the ground.

Trotting to catch up with Hermione, she fell into stride with the older girl as they walked past the Slytherin table.

Ginny did a double-take as someone at the table caught her eye with a small wave. Locking eyes, Daphne Greengrass mouthed a 'hello' to Ginny and gave her a wink, before smiling and returning back to her conversation.

"What...in the world...was that?" Hermione asked slowly, sharing a wide eyed look with Ginny.

"Hell if I know," Ginny mumbled as she continued to walk, glancing back over her shoulder at the girl. "That was Daphne Greengrass, wasn't it?"

"Yes," replied Hermione, still confused. "And did she just say 'hello' to you...and wink?" Hermione gulped the last word.

"I-I think so...," Ginny managed.

They walked through the oversized doors of the Great Hall and turned to walk down the hallway, both trying to digest the weird exchange they had just witnessed.

"Have you ever talked with her?" Hermione asked.

"No," Ginny snorted, "she hates all of us Weasleys, never mind the fact she's in your year, not mine. I've never had a class with her or anything."

"Strange," Hermione said. "I wonder what prompted that. She's always been so unpleasant in any class I've had with her."

"Maybe she was saying 'hi' to you," Ginny guessed. "That would make more sense."

Hermione looked appalled. "Not a chance! She threw a newt in my hair just last year!"

"Maybe she likes you," Ginny suggested with a flirty grin as she waggled her eyebrows up and down.

"Ginny!" Hermione exclaimed as she swatted at Ginny's arm, but missed as Ginny ducked out of the way.

Ginny laughed as Hermione chased after her, yelling at her to take it back. She heard a yelp of surprise when Hermione slammed into Ginny who had stopped abruptly.

"Is that your girlfriend, Weasley?"

Ginny scowled at Draco who had blocked her way in the hall with his cronies Crabbe and Goyle behind him. He stood there looking as pompous and smug as ever.

"Bugger off, Malfoy," she spat, though she had to mask the surprise she felt over Draco's mention of the word 'girlfriend'. She didn't realize that word would get out so quickly.

"I know you're poor as dirt," he started as he took a step towards her, Ginny automatically moving over and putting an arm out protectively in front of Hermione who had stepped out from behind her. He smirked, "but I thought at least you could have dated someone other than a Mudblood."

Malfoy had barely gotten the word out of his mouth before Ginny exploded in rage. In a flash, she had drawn her wand out of her robes and sent a series of winged bogeys attacking Malfoy. He screamed in a high-pitched voice and swatted frantically at them as they flew around his head, swooping and diving. Crabbe and Goyle went to help him, but soon the bats were attacking them as well. Malfoy ran off down the corridor, arms still flailing as the bats followed him, while his goonies looked unsure of whether to confront Ginny or chase after their leader.

"Better get going, you two, or else my hand might twitch and you'll have a swarm of your own to deal with," Ginny said in a slow, steady voice. The two sidekicks promptly took off down the corridor, shooting worried glances back at the small redhead.

"Are you okay?" Ginny asked, concern now lacing her voice as she turned to check on Hermione. The brunette was looking at Ginny, her eyes soft, nothing indicating that the violent exchange had just taken place. She was about to speak when a loud, booming voice echoed down the hallway.

"Magnificent!"

Both girls turned in surprise to see their new potions professor walking towards them in jubilant strides, his arms thrown in the air with a large smile on his face.

"A Bat-Bogey hex from such a young student. And casted non-verbally! Astounding, young lady, astounding!" he continued as he reached Ginny and grasped her hand, shaking it enthusiastically, causing the unsuspecting redhead's body to jostle back and forth.

"Oh, um," Ginny struggled to find the right words, "thank you? I mean, aren't I in trouble?"

Professor Slughorn put a finger to his lips and leaned down, "Shh, this will be our little secret. I couldn't possibly punish a student for exhibiting such skilled spell casting."

"But Malfoy-" Ginny started.

"Don't worry about him. I'll deal with that when the time comes. And Miss Granger," he said turning towards her, continuing on in his jovial way, "don't even think about taking points away from Gryffindor for this little scuffle."

"Sir, with all due respect, it's my respons-"

"Nonsense!" He exclaimed, once again throwing his hands in the air. "If a professor is willing to overlook it, then you can too.

"So," he said turning his attention back to Ginny. "You must be a Weasley, but which Weasley...," he said as he studied her, tapping his finger against his chin.

"Ginny Weasley, sir," Ginny replied. "Fifth year. I have your potions class later today."

"Ginny Weasley! Excellent! Miss Weasley, you may not know, but I have a very exclusive social club that I invite only the most talented and promising of witches and wizards to. Miss Granger here being one of them," he said as he gestured towards the silent brunette.

Ginny looked over at Hermione with a puzzled look on her face. She had never heard of this mysterious social club and had no idea that Hermione was in it.

"Would you like to be a part of this group, Miss Weasley? We get together for dinner parties every now and then. Some of the greatest witches and wizards have been in this group. Did you know Gwenog Jones was a member?"

Ginny's eyes went wide. "Gwenog Jones? Really! That's amazing. Count me in, I'd be honoured, sir."

"Wonderful!" Professor Slughorn exclaimed. "I'll send you owls once I've settled on a date. See you in Potions later, both of you," he called as he began to walk away.

Ginny looked over at Hermione, her eyes still wide in both question and awe.

"He asked me after our first class," the brunette explained. "He asked Harry, too. Told me he had heard that I was the top student of our year, and he was extremely impressed with Harry's potion making and more than likely his status as 'Chosen One'. We haven't mentioned it much because of Ron – he wasn't invited into the club."

"Oh, I see. Seems a bit strange, this club," Ginny commented.

"I agree," Hermione nodded, "but it is an honour to be invited. I know he is just doing it to make connections with people who he thinks will be rich and influential someday, but, it would be unwise to turn him down."

"Fair enough," Ginny said distractedly, remembering what had spurred this whole deal on. "Are you okay, though? From earlier?"

"Oh." Hermione looked embarrassed as she realized what Ginny was referring to. "Yeah, yeah, I'm okay. I really have to go now though. Class is going to start any minute now," she said as she checked her watch.

Ginny walked with her and asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, Ginny," Hermione said patiently. "But, I really should take points from Gryffindor for that. It was completely against the rules to use that spell on Malfoy. You shouldn't have done that."

"He deserved it," Ginny scoffed.

"Maybe so," Hermione relented, "but I don't want you to get into trouble. You're just lucky it was Slughorn who caught you and not someone else. You shouldn't waste your efforts on Malfoy, I thought we all learned that ages ago."

"I couldn't just let him talk about you that way," Ginny said resolutely.

The brunette sighed, "Well, thank you, I appreciate your concern, but it's okay, really."

Ginny stopped herself from getting into an argument with her friend, but something else nagged her mind and she had to get it out while the opportunity was still there.

"You know, Hermione, if people start making comments like what Malfoy said, the 'girlfriend' part," she explained, "I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want to hang out as much."

Ginny was shocked into submission as Hermione rounded on her.

"Ginny, how many times do we have to go through this? I don't care that you're gay, and I don't care if some idiots say idiotic things. Stop being so silly about this whole thing." She began walking again, quite briskly this time as she continued on, "If you really think that our friendship means so little to me or that I'm that superficial-"

"No, no, no. That's not what I meant at all," Ginny stressed, cutting Hermione off before she could go any further on her tangent.

"Good," Hermione said, her voice thick with emotion. "I care about you, you know."

Ginny's breath hitched at Hermione's words. She did her best to respond casually, "I know. Thanks...I care about you, too."

"Good," Hermione had appeared to have relaxed a bit after hearing Ginny's response. "So, no more of this nonsense, understood?"

Ginny rolled her eyes and hid an affectionate smile. "Yes, Ma'am."

"Ginny!"

"No more nonsense, Hermione," Ginny laughed.

"Right, then," Hermione nodded her head decidedly before looking at her watch. "Oh no, I'm going to have to sit at the back now," she complained. "And you're going to be late if you don't hurry."

Ginny laughed once more and resisted the urge to scoop Hermione up in a hug.

"I won't be late," she promised as she moved towards the threshold that led outside. "Have a good class, 'Mione. I'll see you later."

"Bye, Ginny," Hermione waved hurriedly before rushing off.

The young Weasley smiled and slung her book bag over her shoulder, which she had been previously just let swing at her side. She started into a leisurely jog and headed out towards the greenhouses.

This might just be a good day.

* * *

A couple of weeks went by and Ginny had settled into the routine of being back at school. Slughorn had begun to favour her in Potions, but she didn't disappoint and delivered each time. He had made good on his promise and sent her an invitation for a dinner party that would take place at the end of the month.

In the meantime though, Ginny was preoccupied with today's quidditch tryouts.

Harry had been appointed the new captain and had asked Ginny to help him with the tryouts. They had talked previously about what kind of exercises and plays they wanted the potentials to run through, but Ginny still wanted to head down to the pitch ahead of time to prepare furthermore. Unfortunately, that was currently impossible as Hufflepuff was currently occupying it. The pitch wouldn't be free for at least another hour. She was eager to get on the pitch in any context, and the tryouts would be her first time out this year. So now, she was stuck sitting in the common room, ready and raring, but with nowhere to go.

Hermione was next to her and had been attempting to calm her down for the past hour. She hadn't had too much success just yet and exhaled in frustration.

Both girls turned their heads at hearing an amused laugh from behind them.

"Don't tell me **you're** nervous."

Demelza Robins came around the couch to sit down next to Ginny, opposite of Hermione. "If you're nervous, then I should be doubly nervous. I wish I could practice."

Ginny laughed, "Yeah, what was Harry thinking, booking the pitch right after Hufflepuff? Couldn't he get it another day or something? Well, don't worry, you'll be fine."

"I don't know," Demelza shrugged. "I have a lot to live up to," she added as she looked at Ginny.

"No, no," Ginny denied, though she was flattered. "Just don't let your nerves get to you and you'll be fine."

"Maybe we should probably talk about something other than quidditch, I think it's just riling me up even more," Demelza suggested feebly.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Ginny sighed. "So, what do you got?"

"I hadn't thought that far ahead yet," the dark haired girl laughed. "Um, how about transfiguration?"

"Sure," Ginny relented. "Did you finish the readings yet?"

"Not entirely. I'm about two-thirds there. Yourself?"

"Yeah, I finished – just last night though."

"You're quite good at transfiguration," Demelza complimented with a smile. "Perhaps we can study together sometime."

"Yeah, sure," Ginny accepted distractedly. She turned to look at Hermione, who had been silent since the other fifth year had sat down. She now had a book propped open in her lap and seemed thoroughly entranced with the words on the page. She was probably thankful for being rescued from listening to Ginny's hyperactive ramblings.

As the time for tryouts neared, Ginny and Demelza rose from their spot on the couch. Hermione remained seated, still enraptured with her book.

"Are you still coming to tryouts?" Ginny asked. Receiving no immediate response from Hermione, she turned to Demelza in question before returning her gaze back to Hermione. "Hey," she said softly as she nudged Hermione's foot with her own.

The brunette raised her eyes to Ginny's, looking highly irritated. "What is it?"

"Just wondering if you wanted to come to tryouts...," she said rather weakly, withering slightly under Hermione's harsh stare.

"Yes, but it doesn't start until one o'clock, it's only twelve thirty right now. You two still need to get ready, but I don't. So, I will be there, but not until you are actually in the air and tryouts are under way."

"Okay...," Ginny said, trying to keep the dejection out of her voice.

Demelza gave her a curious look as they headed towards the portrait hole and Ginny glanced back at Hermione briefly before stepping through. Hermione had already returned her attention to her book, still looking cross. Ginny wasn't sure what had set the brunette off, but obviously she had done something to tick her off.

"What was that about?" the dark haired girl asked.

Explaining that she didn't know, Ginny and Demelza walked to the locker rooms to prepare.

A while later, Ginny stood next to Harry and Ron, all in quidditch robes, and was listening to Harry's instructions to the players before them about how tryouts were going to work.

Ginny's eyes flickered towards the stands, seeking out her favourite curly-haired witch. It wasn't until Harry was wrapping up his speech did the redhead spot Hermione settling into a seat high up in the stands. There was a decent turnout of spectators already there, but seeing this one addition sent the butterflies in Ginny's stomach into an uproar.

Harry organized the hopefuls into teams and soon they were prepped for a game. He would referee, while Ron and Ginny would be keepers for this first portion of tryouts. This first run was to judge the potential chasers and beaters; the keepers would be tested later.

"Alright, everyone ready?" Harry yelled out.

She caught a look from Demelza, who gave her a nervous smile. She smiled back encouragingly and gave the girl a thumbs up.

"Go!"

Ginny watched from the goal as chaos ensued on the pitch. She winced as one of the potential chasers was thrown off his broom as a bludger made unpleasant contact with him.

It didn't take too long for the more capable players to become apparent. Ginny looked on in intrigue as Demelza gained possession of the quaffle and dodged the bludgers with relative ease. She was actually quite good.

Ginny readied herself as Demelza closed in on her. The dark haired girl threw the quaffle to the right-most ring, but Ginny flew over just in time, kicking her leg out to block the shot. She felt bad at seeing the disappointment on the girl's face, but she had to do it.

She shouted out a few quick words of encouragement to Demelza before the girl took off back to the middle of the pitch.

Soon, the match was taking part mostly on the other end of the pitch, leaving Ginny time to glance over at Hermione. The older girl was, sure enough, sitting there with a book out, not even watching the game. She didn't look to be in much of a better mood just yet, making Ginny wonder why she had even bothered to come.

A sharp movement out of the corner of her eye caught Ginny's attention and she saw that it was Demelza criss-crossing to avoid the bludgers. She was in possession of the quaffle once more, earning approval in Ginny's eyes. Ginny looked over to Harry briefly, who gave her an impressed nod.

Ginny watched the rapidly approaching girl carefully, trying to gauge her next moves. Demelza dipped to her left, arm out, ready to throw the quaffle. Just as Ginny moved to block the oncoming shot, Demelza turned abruptly and threw the quaffle at the opposite hoop. The redhead cursed under her breath and raced back, reaching her arm out to block the ball. She did manage to block it, but just barely.

She looked up at Demelza, who had stuck around after the shot. The girl complained good-naturedly, a smile on her face. She knew that it was a good shot, despite not getting a goal.

"Not bad, not bad," Ginny yelled out, as the girl was still a number of feet away. "You almost got me, there."

"Maybe next time," Demelza grinned as she flew back towards the other players.

Shortly after that play, Harry blew his whistle and everyone moved in. There was a rush of conversations as the group gathered and went to land.

Ginny looked out to the stands and was surprised and a little hurt to see that Hermione was no longer there. When had she left? Why? The more logical part of her brain told her that the tryouts were probably incredibly boring to the sixth year. She had little interest in quidditch to begin with, and it's not like any of her friends were actually trying out this year, just judging. However, that other part of Ginny was determined to feel offended and hurt by the brunette's sudden absence.

Ginny tuned back into the conversation at hand just in time to hear Harry telling everyone that it was now the keepers turn to be tested. After switching back to Chaser and working through a few plays on the pitch, the group was called in again. Harry informed the potentials that he, Ron, and Ginny would deliberate and let them know of their decisions later that day. With a quick 'thanks' and 'good job', Harry sent the hopefuls off to the locker room and beckoned Ginny and Ron to come closer.

"So, what did you think?" he asked, the three of them now standing in a circle.

Ron gave his take on the players as Ginny looked distractedly around to see if Hermione had returned. The flash of hope that filled her chest fell into a heavy disappointment that settled in her stomach as she saw that the brunette was nowhere in sight.

"-how 'bout you, Gin?" Ron asked.

"Oh, uh," she stuttered as she gathered her thoughts, "I thought Demelza Robins did well."

Ron and Harry agreed fervently.

"Romilda Vane? Not so much," Ginny laughed as she ribbed Harry. It was a well-known fact by now that this year Romilda had set her sights on Harry. Ginny imagined that this stab at playing quidditch was just an attempt to get his attention.

"Yeah, well, funny that you should notice Demelza," Harry retorted with a sly grin, "I know she certainly noticed you."

"What the hell does that mean?" Ginny asked, suddenly self-conscious under the stares of Harry and Ron.

"Don't tell me you don't know," Ron said exasperated. Ginny glared at him, still confused. "She's got the hots for you, you prat," he explained.

"What!" Ginny exclaimed, taking a step back. She had not been expecting that. She hardly knew Demelza, sure they were friends, but she had never thought of her in any other way.

"She's only been eyeing you ever since we've gotten back to school. Soon she'll be asking you to help her with her homework," Ron snickered, Harry joining him in the joke.

Ginny blushed furiously. So, perhaps there might be a slight bit of truth in what the boys were suggesting. Ginny hadn't noticed before, but reflecting upon things, she could see what they were saying. She was flattered, Demelza was a nice girl, cute, and apparently into her. But, that didn't change the fact that she wasn't Hermione.

"Alright, shut up," Ginny mumbled as Harry and Ron continued to tease her. "So, who's making the team?"

"Demelza," the boys proclaimed in unison, both stifling laughs.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny," Ginny mocked. "I'm not interested in her. So get that out of your heads right now."

"Well, I'm sure making the team will make her happy," Harry said, giving her an apologetic smile. "For more reasons than one," he quickly said under his breath, both he and Ron breaking out into laughter again.

"Okay, that's it," Ginny warned as she pulled out her wand.

At the sight of the wand, both boys cowered. They knew of Ginny's reputation with hexes, that reputation fresh in their minds after hearing about her go at Malfoy just recently. Ginny had no intention of actually doing anything to the boys, she just wanted to shut them up and she figured this would do the trick. Needless to say, the rest of their discussion stayed firmly on track and Ginny's love life was left well off the radar.

After Ginny had gotten changed back into her regular clothes, she left the by-then-abandoned locker room and went off in search of Hermione. She checked the common room, the library, the dorms, but no sign of the brunette. Ginny carried on with her day, though worried thoughts of Hermione didn't leave her mind.

She returned to the common room that evening and decided to stay up and wait for her. She managed to already get through two essays and a reading during her wait. She looked over at the clock; it was midnight and still no Hermione. She cracked open her History of Magic textbook, lay back on the couch and began to scan through the assigned reading. She didn't even notice as her eyes fluttered shut and she fell asleep.

**AN**: Thanks again to everyone who has taken the time to read my story. I really appreciate your support! Hope you all enjoyed chapter 3 :)


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_**Hermione POV**_

"Dilligrout," Hermione whispered.

The portrait door slowly swung open and the prefect stepped inside the common room as quietly as possible. It was nearing one o'clock in the morning and she knew that despite having curfew privileges, she should have been back before now.

She walked towards the staircase leading to the girls' dormitories when she was startled by a noise. Her feet froze in place and her eyes darted towards the area that the sound originated from. She saw nothing out of the ordinary, just the sitting area in front of the fireplace. She stood motionless for a moment longer, listening for the noise again. Hearing nothing, she continued to walk towards the stairs.

Suddenly, there the noise was again, except this time it sounded strangely human.

Hermione walked over the sitting area and peered down from her position behind the couch. Surprise hit her as she took in the sight of Ginny, sprawled out on the couch with her history textbook lying open on her chest. Another book lay open on the floor, the pages a mess. Hermione guessed that Ginny had knocked the book off the couch and that had been the first noise the brunette had heard.

What in the world was Ginny doing up so late that she actually fell asleep out here? Surely she didn't need to study History of Magic that badly.

Hermione gazed down at the girl before her. Ginny was breathing softly, her cheeks were a pale rose colour and she was in her regular clothes, unlike when Hermione had seen her last earlier in the day during quidditch.

The brunette's peaceful expression disappeared as her brows knitted together in a frown. Just the mere reference to the day's earlier events left her agitated.

With a huff, Hermione briskly walked over to the fallen book and she gruffly, but quietly, put it in Ginny's bag. She looked over at the sleeping girl again and after a moment's deliberation, reached out and carefully grasped the book off of her chest, all the while scolding herself for blushing in the process. After thoughtfully placing Ginny's bookmark between the pages the text had been opened to, Hermione put that book away as well.

With a final, fleeting look at the girl, Hermione stalked off to her dorm. She had to consciously force herself to not stomp on the stairs as she ascended them. Quietly opening the door to the room that she shared with her fellow sixth years, she softly padded in.

A short while later, Hermione had gotten changed and lay wide awake in her bed. Crookshanks hopped up on the bed and curled up against her; she reached down and began absently stroking his fur. It was usually a comfort to have Crookshanks around, but despite his presence she felt just as upset as she did when she came in.

Hermione screwed her eyes shut, but the tension in her body wouldn't leave and her mind continued to race. She turned onto her side and tried to get comfortable, but to no avail. She turned onto her other side – same problem. With a heavy sigh, she lay on her back again and stared at the tapestry that covered her bed. She was furious with herself for not being able to sleep. She'd surely pay for it tomorrow when she would be struggling to focus in her classes.

She scoffed internally. Fewer hours of sleep wasn't the only cause for her lack of focus in class recently. Nobody would ever guess that she was having trouble focusing, she was still top of her class and could answer any question thrown her way, but she was much too aware of how her mind wandered these days.

Appropriately, her mind wandered to a vision of the sleeping girl downstairs. Hermione was still unsure what had prompted the girl to stay out in the common room, rather than going up to her dorm. If Hermione found herself any less annoyed with her tomorrow, she'd ask.

Hermione's frown faded as she reasoned with herself. She didn't actually have any grounds for being upset with the younger girl, at least grounds that she could explain to others. She knew internally why she was upset though.

Ginny had been quite the hot commodity with the boys the past year or so, and now that Ginny was out, she had grown into quite the hot commodity with the girls who could be tempted to swing that way. The talk had been circulating in class and in the halls and Hermione couldn't help but overhear as certain girls talked a little too flatteringly of the redhead. Hell, even Daphne Greengrass had made a bit of a pass at Ginny.

Hermione was relieved to find that most of the chatter around the castle regarding Ginny's orientation had been positive, but it was not comforting to Hermione to see that so many girls were interested in Ginny. This was not good news at all.

She had been completely caught off guard when Ginny had come out this summer, and with a bit of interrogation, had learned that she was not on Ginny's list of girls that she was potentially interested in. She shouldn't have been surprised – she just wasn't Ginny's type. Hermione, for the most part, considered herself good 'friend' material. She wasn't stupid enough to think that someone like her could catch Ginny's interest, or more importantly, keep it. Not that it mattered, after Hogwarts she and Ginny were headed separate directions. It just didn't matter. Though, she had to admit that Ginny could be very charming. It took all her will to not pull the girl into a kiss after she hexed Malfoy for her.

Today had been dreadful though. First, Ginny ignored her completely while in the common room as soon as Demelza sat down, and then at the tryouts the two were flirting with one another. Great, they could go ahead and enjoy their stupid quidditch together. She didn't fancy sitting around any longer as this Robins girl lured in Ginny, so she left. She doubted Ginny even noticed.

Hermione groaned as she remembered that she had promised to help Ginny with astronomy tomorrow. With the way Hermione was feeling about things right now, she wasn't too keen on spending any significant amount of time with the redhead one on one.

Hermione reprimanded herself. She was still Ginny's friend, and if she had promised to help Ginny study, then she would do so. And, on top of that, she would try to be pleasant about it. It wasn't Ginny's fault that Hermione was boring, apparently unattractive, and uninterested in quidditch.

Burying her face in her pillow, Hermione did her best to push the negative thoughts out of her head. She needed to sleep and she knew that morning would come far too soon. After considerable effort, Hermione was lulled into the comfort of her dreams.

* * *

A loud blaring noise went off in Hermione's ear. She winced. Just as she had expected, morning had come much too soon. She reached out and turned her alarm off. Forcing herself to sit up, she rubbed her eyes and looked around the room. Her roommates were still sound asleep thanks to the silencing charm Hermione had placed around her bed and bedside table.

After she'd gotten changed, Hermione grabbed her book bag and headed down for an early breakfast. She wanted to get to the library and read over her Transfiguration essay before class this morning and that required an early start to the day.

As she stepped down into the common room, she cautiously walked over to the couch and slowly peered over the back of it. The couch was empty – Ginny must have woken up at some point during the night and gone up to bed. Hermione vaguely wondered if the redhead noticed that her books had been put away.

By the time some of the other students started to file into the Great Hall, Hermione was just finishing off the last bit of her toast. She rose from her seat and left to go to the library. When she arrived, Madam Pince didn't look the least bit surprised. Hermione greeted her with a small smile and settled into her usual seat at her usual table.

Hermione forced back a yawn and shook her head in an effort to wake herself up. She pulled out the pieces of parchment that she had written her essay on and began to read through. More than once she had to fight off yawns. She was thankful when it was time to head to class; the walk would do her good.

She managed to make it through Transfiguration class just fine, Professor McGonagall had them transfiguring objects into stone. Though the task was less than daunting for Hermione, it was enough to occupy her and keep her awake.

At the sound of the bell, Hermione and the others rose from their seats and began the walk to the greenhouses for Herbology.

"-I don't think McGonagall was too pleased," Ron was saying when Hermione took notice of his conversation with Harry. He must have been referring to when he had managed to turn the desk into stone, rather than the quills they were supposed to be transfiguring.

"Well, at least you were successful. It takes more skill to turn a desk into stone than a quill," Harry offered.

"I couldn't help it. That git, Malfoy, blew at my quill as I was casting the spell, the quill moved and I got the desk instead," Ron explained in a dejected voice laced with irritation.

"It's alright, Ron," Hermione said, "Professor McGonagall was able to easily revert the desk back. I think she was probably upset with Draco instead."

"Maybe," Ron said in a glum voice, not entirely convinced.

Once they were in the Herbology, a class they shared with Hufflepuff, Hermione stood in front of her Curling Pawnygreen and awaited instruction. Madam Sprout was still rummaging through a set of gardening tools and had not yet begun class. Behind her, the sound of Ginny's name being whispered caught Hermione's attention. She didn't turn her head, but she blocked out the surrounding conversations as best she could in an effort to listen in on what the girls behind her were saying.

"-we didn't get a chance to talk much, just 'hello' and whatnot."

Hermione recognized the voice as Hannah Abbott's.

"Well that's a start. I'm sure you'll get to talk more next time."

Hermione guessed that the second voice belonged to Susan Bones.

"I guess so. It was a bit nerve-wracking," Hannah giggled. "Her tie was a bit crooked, it was really cute."

Hermione's blood boiled and her grip tightened on the pot that housed her plant. Not Hannah bloody Abbott, too.

"Are you alright?"

Hermione looked over to see Harry looking at her curiously, in particular, looking at her white knuckled grip on the plant.

"Oh," Hermione laughed as she returned her grip to normal. "I'm okay, just remembering that incident with Malfoy," she bluffed.

Harry nodded sympathetically. "He's a right git, you know. Don't worry about him."

"Yeah, thanks Harry."

Behind her she heard the two girls giggling.

This was going to be a long class.

* * *

That evening, Hermione sat against the wall in the astronomy tower waiting for Ginny. The brunette was disappointed in herself for checking her watch so often and for being irritated that Ginny hadn't arrived yet. The redhead wasn't late, but Hermione had arrived early and was being impatient.

Several minutes later, Hermione heard the faint sound of footsteps ascending the staircase. She became flustered over the impending arrival of Ginny and began piling the parchments and textbooks that she had strewn around her and proceeded to stuff them into her bag.

As the footsteps came around the last bend, Hermione began calmly pulling her Ancient Runes textbook out of her bag.

"Hey Hermione," the familiar voice called.

The older girl looked up to see Ginny reaching the top of the steps, smiling at her.

"Oh, hello, Ginny," she greeted as though she was surprised by the girl's arrival.

"You weren't waiting long, I hope," the fifth year said as she crossed the room to where Hermione was seated.

"Oh no, just got here," Hermione said as she held up her book for Ginny to see.

"How was your day?" Ginny asked as she sat down next to her, making the brunette gulp soundlessly. "I haven't seen you at all. Wasn't sure if you'd be here."

Hermione shot Ginny a look. "Of course I'd be here, I told I would be."

"Okay, okay," the redhead mumbled as she pulled a roll of paper out of her bag, which she revealed to be a star chart. "So, good day?" she asked again.

"It was fine, thank you," Hermione said politely. "Yourself?"

"It was okay, nothing overly exciting happened," Ginny replied in a bored tone.

"Oh," Hermione responded. She flipped a page of her textbook before speaking again, ensuring her voice sounded nonchalant, but curious. "Hannah Abbott mentioned you today in class. It was a little odd."

"That is weird," the younger girl concurred. "Oh wait, I did run into her this morning. I almost forgot. What would she say though; we barely said two words to one another."

"Not much. Something about your tie," Hermione replied casually, noticing how Ginny instinctively looked down to examine the said piece of clothing.

"Huh," Ginny said finally. "So, what happened to you yesterday? I went looking for you after the tryouts and you were gone."

Hermione tensed. So Ginny had noticed her absence, that was good, right? She was looking for her, too? That had to be good news.

"Oh, sorry about that," Hermione apologized as she looked over at Ginny, her brown eyes sparkling in the moonlight and capturing Hermione's full attention.

"Well, was everything okay?" Ginny prompted.

"Oh," Hermione said, flustered, "Yes, everything was fine. I just had a headache, that's all."

Ginny looked sympathetic and nodded her head. "Did you go to the hospital wing?"  
"Sorry?" the brunette asked confused.

"Well, you weren't in your room. So I heard...," Ginny mumbled as she looked down at the star chart still in her hands.

The older witched smiled. So, Ginny had checked her room? She really did look for her. The hospital wing was as good an excuse as any and Hermione went along with it.

"Must have been serious," Ginny commented as she eyed Hermione with concern. "Do you feel okay now? Maybe you should be resting."

Hermione laughed warmly as Ginny fussed over her. "No, no. I feel much better now." She bit her lip searching for something to say. "So, how did the rest of the tryouts go, then?" Ginny smiled broadly at the mention of her favourite sport. Hermione went on, "Harry and Ron said that the chaser turnout was really good this year..."

Ginny pondered the statement for a moment before answering, "Yeah, it wasn't bad. We brought on Demelza Robins, but that's it."

Hermione bristled at the sound of the girl's name, though she was expecting it. "Oh, that's nice. I don't know her too well, what's she like? Do you think she'll be okay to work with?"

"Should be fine," Ginny shrugged. "I know her from class, but I don't know her overly well. And I didn't even know she liked quidditch until the beginning of this year. She flies alright though, so that's a start."

"That's good," the older girl said a little stiffly.

Hermione couldn't help but feel the impending threat of this girl that would be spending so much time with Ginny doing a sport that the redhead pretty much lived for. Hermione couldn't even fly. Her sharp mind did the math and she foresaw, with reluctance and a heavy heart, that it was only a matter of time until Ginny would gravitate towards Demelza.

"Sure you don't want to join the team?" Ginny teased as she elbowed Hermione gently. "Come on, we can make room for you."

"Believe me, you guys are far better off without me on your team. You clearly didn't see me fly in first year – ask Ron and Harry," Hermione laughed lightly.

"Hm, I must not have, 'cause I can't imagine you being bad at something," Ginny said as she grinned at Hermione, drawing a blush out of the girl that hopefully couldn't be seen in the dim light of the astronomy tower. "How about a compromise, then."

Hermione arched an eyebrow in question.

"I won't make you join the team if you promise to come out and cheer for us – practices included," the youngest Weasley explained.

"I don't cheer," the brunette asserted firmly.

"I **know** you do. I've seen you at the games," Ginny said, still giving Hermione a grin that bordered awfully close on flirty.

"Fine," Hermione relented, already dreading seeing Ginny and Demelza working together. "But I don't cheer at practices. I'll come, but no cheering."

"That sounds like a challenge, Miss Granger," the redhead said as she eyed Hermione. "I'll just have to make sure we give you something to cheer about."

**AN**: A little glimpse into Hermione's mind. Hopefully the change in POV is a welcome one! The remaining chapters will vary between the two girls' POV. I hope you all enjoyed - thanks for sticking with me!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_**Hermione POV**_

By the time Slughorn's first dinner party rolled around, things between Ginny and Hermione had stabilized a bit. There was still much room for improvement, but they had at least begun to study together regularly and this time had made Hermione feel slightly better.

Ginny was still on the receiving end of flirty smiles and small conversations from other girls that Hermione was sure they were hoping would eventually lead to more, but Ginny had either remained oddly clueless about their intentions or was just not interested. The thought of the latter made the brunette smile proudly.

There was still that issue with Demelza, as she was still in the picture...Hermione snapped at herself over the thought of the interfering girl. For a Gryffindor, Hermione sure didn't feel very brave. She should just walk over to Ginny right now, grab her by the front of her shirt, plant a heated kiss on her luscious lips and be done with it. However, there was no way Hermione could bring herself to do that.

She looked in the mirror and examined her appearance. She had pulled her hair back in a sleek ponytail, but kept a few strands loose to frame her face. She wore a nice blouse and a skirt that came down just past her knees; it wasn't exactly revealing, but that wasn't Hermione's intention either. She reached into the jewellery box she had set on the dresser and pulled out two silver hooped earrings. For this occasion, Hermione decided that it would probably be suitable to put on mascara, and she applied a couple of coats sparingly; just enough to draw a bit of attention to her eyes.

The sixth year examined herself in the mirror once more, eyeing her reflection for any immediate flaws that she could fix. She berated herself for being so vain. She was never like this and it was no secret that she didn't fret too much about her appearance. While most girls, such as her roommates Lavender and Parvati, had a gruelling beautifying process, Hermione's tended to be, well, less high maintenance.

Forcing herself to stop criticizing how she looked, Hermione tore her eyes away from the mirror and headed towards the door. She took a large, steadying breath as she opened the door and began her descent to the common room where Harry and Ginny would be waiting for her.

She came down the rounded staircase, focusing on taking even breaths in an effort to ease her nerves. Reaching the landing, she saw Harry standing in a dress shirt and dress pants, looking quite sharp – no Ginny in sight.

"Hello, Harry," she greeted him with a smile.

"Evening, Hermione. You look great," he reciprocated. "Ginny was down here a moment ago. Said she had to run back upstairs for something."

"Oh, okay," Hermione shrugged. Even though she was fighting off butterflies, there was no need to let Harry know.

Hermione began to tap her foot impatiently as she studied her watch. "We're going to be late."

It was now Harry's turn to shrug his shoulders. "We should be okay. The dinner's not too far from here." Seeing that Hermione was not satisfied with his reasoning, he went on, "Why don't you go check on Ginny, then?"

"No," Hermione said absolutely. She noticed the thrown look on Harry's face and explained herself, "I'm not her mother. She knows we were supposed to leave here at quarter to six. It's five to, now."

As if on cue, just then footsteps came rapidly pounding down the stairs from the girls' dormitory.

"Sorry, I'm late," the voice called before its owner was visible to either Hermione or Harry. A second later Ginny appeared in front of them, a little breathless, but walking right past them and beckoning them to follow her, "Let's go!"

Hermione let out an irritated growl, but jogged after the girl, a few steps behind Harry. They all stepped through the portrait hole and began their walk to Slughorn's quarters.

"We're going to be late, you know," Hermione said in a disapproving tone directed at Ginny, who was still a few paces in front of the group. The brunette did her best to not eye the girl appreciatively from this interesting vantage point.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry," the redhead said hurriedly. "I realized I had a run in my stockings and had to go change them."

Hermione's eyes were drawn to Ginny's slender legs. The girl was in black nylons that led up to a short brown skirt. Hermione's eyes raked upwards to take in the visual of the rich coloured top that hung off Ginny's body in a very flattering way. The neck of the blouse dipped a little in the back, leaving the brunette the opportunity to enjoy the sight of Ginny's pale, creamy skin. Hermione could see a couple of freckles on her otherwise clear skin, and the brunette found herself having to hold herself back from running her fingers across the tempting canvas.

"Right, well, hopefully Professor Slughorn isn't offended by our tardiness," Hermione continued.

She hated when she did that. Almost every time she found herself tempted by Ginny, which was relatively frequently these days, she always had to snap at her. Hermione knew it wasn't right, but creating that distance between them sometimes felt like the only way to regain control of her senses. It was a terrible thing to want so much to be close to someone, but feeling so scared and powerless unless you were an arms-length away.

The rest of their walk was filled with awkward conversation that poor Harry tried so valiantly to uphold. His efforts were more or less wasted though, as both Hermione and Ginny were now in rotten moods.

Hermione had spoken too soon; maybe things hadn't stabilized too much between the two of them.

The Slug Club dinner party was pretty much what Hermione had been expecting. There were about seven students in attendance and the conversation topics ranged from school, to hobbies, to future aspirations. Nothing overly inspiring came up in their talks, which disappointed Hermione somewhat, but overall it wasn't an entirely unpleasant experience.

Hermione had seated herself next to Harry while Ginny had sat on his other side. The younger girl had remained subdued until Professor Slughorn turned his attention to her later on in the evening. The brunette had smiled fondly as Ginny spoke eloquently about her plans for the future and answered other questions from their professor with equal composure.

The older witch's earlier displeasure with the youngest Weasley had tapered off completely by the time the dinner ended – though Hermione was close to falling into another mood when she spotted Melinda Bobbin smiling flirtatiously over her dessert at Ginny. Really, was every girl into Ginny? The only thing that stopped the prefect from growing jealous was the look of distaste that Ginny had tried to mask upon spotting the girl's obvious advances. Well, at least Ginny had **some** taste.

"Alright, thank you very much for coming," Professor Slughorn said some time later as everyone was leaving. "Our next get together will be around Christmas. It will be a marvellous evening, please dress formally and feel free to invite a guest. I'll send out an owl a few weeks prior."

With that, the students thanked Professor Slughorn and bid him farewell.

"_Great_," Hermione thought as she walked towards Gryffindor Tower with Harry and Ginny. Why did they have to invite guests; this complicated things and Hermione was not looking forward to it. Harry talked excitedly about how he wanted to ask Luna to the next party, while Hermione and Ginny kept mum about who they intended to take.

She was thankful that Harry was unusually chatty, as it gave her the opportunity to keep the focus upon him. She would have to put her would-be Ravenclaw brain to work later and worry about her date another time.

They trio entered the common room to find that it was mostly empty. Hermione was surprised to learn how late it was and informed her friends that she was going to head to bed. Both friends nodded their heads in understanding and said that they would be doing the same.

Wishing Harry a good night, the girls went up the stairwell leading to their rooms.

"So you still want to play quidditch professionally," Hermione noted out loud.

"Yes," Ginny said giving her friend a questioning look, seemingly unsure whether to be offended or not.

Picking up on that, Hermione quickly recovered, "Oh no, I didn't mean that in a bad way. I think it's good. You're a great player and it would be a shame for you to not pursue it further," she finished, trying to hide her embarrassed smile.

"Thank you, Hermione," Ginny said warmly, looking at the sixth year with a surprised, but pleased look. "That means a lot."

"You're welcome," Hermione said a little dumbly as they paused at the landing to Ginny's dorm. "Well, have a good night," the brunette bid with a nod as she began to walk away.

"Thanks," Ginny responded as she held eye contact with the brunette, her own eyes searching. "You look really beautiful tonight, 'Mione."

Hermione blushed deeply and a look of horror probably formed on her face. "Um, thank you, Ginny. You, um, look good too," she reciprocated awkwardly before wishing the calm redhead goodnight once more and rushing up to her room.

Her heart was still racing as she climbed into bed. "_What was that?_" she asked herself as she went over the recent scenario of herself and Ginny in her mind. Hermione should have been ecstatic, but instead she had panicked and ran away. Now she felt like a fool. Her mind went through the many different and better ways she could have responded to Ginny's compliment, all of which made her feel worse about how things had actually played out.

Ginny thought she was beautiful? The thought made Hermione blush all over again. The cynical side of her brain started in before she could really bask in the possibilities of the compliment, telling her that girls could tell other girls that they were beautiful and it could mean nothing. Mind you, the way Ginny had said it made it seem otherwise, but there was always a chance that it was just a friendly compliment, nothing more.

Hermione hated being so unsure of things, it was not a familiar feeling for her.

"_Stop. Stop. Just let it go,_" she reminded herself as she tried to calm down. "_Another year and a bit, and you'll be at the Ministry. Ginny will be doing her thing, you'll be doing yours, just...stop. Please just stop..._"

Eventually, after much further bickering with herself, Hermione fell into a restless sleep.

* * *

A few weeks later was the first quidditch match of the year and it was set to be a big one. It was Gryffindor versus Slytherin, the two houses had a long running rivalry that was only intensified by the strong dislike between opposing seekers Harry and Draco.

Hermione had attended the practices leading up to this game, feigning that she was studying, bored by the matches. Truth was she had actually been watching enrapt at every practice, hardly able to take her eyes away from Ginny as she flew with precision and grace.

The sixth year attended these practices because she had promised Ginny, as well as Harry and Ron were on the team, but it certainly didn't stop Hermione from keeping an eye on Miss Robins.

The girl was still interested in Ginny – that much was clear. Hermione had, however, been pleased to see that while Ginny was friendly, she had not allowed the chemistry between the two to develop into anything more.

Hermione had grown to quite enjoy attending the practices, in fact. Hermione would act uninterested in the ongoing events on the pitch and periodically Ginny would fly over to check up on her, proceeding to whine that she wasn't paying attention. That was their little game and the studious girl always looked forward to it.

The game wasn't until later this morning. But for now-

"Ouch!"

Hermione winced apologetically. "Sorry, Neville. Are you hurt?"

"No," the lanky boy replied glumly as he rubbed the spot on his chest where Hermione's blast had hit him.

"Okay. Well, let's try again. Try saying the incantation this time and we'll work from there," Hermione suggested upon seeing the look of defeat that clouded Neville's features.

"Right, sure," he said in a dejected voice before taking a breath and puffing out his chest, readying himself for the oncoming attack.

"Ready?" Hermione asked once Neville has raised his wand. Neville simply gave an uncertain, but brave nod.

The curly haired girl let out a slow, heavy breath, releasing some level of reluctance with it and then gave a quick flick of her wand. A small bolt of white light shot out from her wand and careened towards a nervous looking Neville.

"Protego!" He bellowed as he swished his wand in front of him.

The blast dissipated.

Neville slowly opened up one of his eyes, having shut them tightly in anticipation of the blast making contact with him. He let out a relieved breath and chuckled a bit once realizing that he was safe. Hermione obviously wasn't hitting him with full-force blasts, but they still were far from pleasant when on the receiving end.

"Great work, Neville," Hermione congratulated with a wide smile. "So next time, imagine yourself yelling out the incantation instead. You have to feel the same power and control. The conviction that you'd put into your voice, channel through your body – your wand will do the rest."

"Right," Neville nodded with newfound determination. "I'll do my best."

"You can do it," Hermione offered encouragingly.

The two got into duelling stances and Hermione waited for her partner's go-ahead. With a nod, Hermione emitted the same energy from her wand and watched it speed across the room at Neville. She held her breath and her muscles grew tense as the shot neared her fellow Gryffindor.

With the same movement as before, Neville flourished his wand, his lips shut tight this time. The blast disappeared before their eyes.

Hermione let out an excited cheer and ran across the room to throw her arms around Neville's neck in a tight hug.

Neville was speechless and fell clumsily into their hug before finally yelling, "I did it!"

Hermione pulled back, a proud smile on her face. "You did exceptionally, Neville. Even Snape couldn't criticize that one!"

"Well, I hope I can do it again when he tests us," the boy said, his usual insecurity creeping back into his voice.

"The first one is the hardest one," Hermione promised. "From there on in it's much easier. Just keep focusing. Plus we'll practice more."

"Thanks, Hermione. I couldn't have done it without you," the tall boy said gratefully.

"Nonsense," Hermione said sternly. "You would've got it on your own. You just needed a bit of encouragement. Merlin knows Snape does little for any student's confidence in their abilities; that is unless you're in his house. But you always had the skill."

Neville blushed sheepishly. "You're too kind."

Hermione huffed impatiently. "Neville, stop it. You deserve praise."

The boy was about to protest when Luna entered the otherwise empty classroom.

"Oh, hello," she greeted in a way that made it seem like she was surprised to see them.

"Hello, Luna," the two sixth years greeted in unison.

"Guess what?" Neville continued on excitedly, not waiting for a response from Luna, who looked on patiently in any case. "I casted the Protego charm non-verbally!"

Luna gave him a kind smile and said, "That's great news. The Winkle Fairies must be favouring you today. They tend to bring good luck, you know, and only come out when the sun shines."

Neville smiled and thanked her, a little unsure of what to say, while Hermione resisted rolling her eyes at the daydreamy girl in front of her.

Luna was a sweet girl, but Hermione and she had differing views on various things. Hermione didn't believe half the stuff that came out of Luna's mouth regarding magical creatures and whatnot, but she did her best to respect the girl's beliefs, however foreign they may be in comparison to Hermione's very logical way of thinking.

"I just came up here to get you guys. The match is starting soon," Luna stated.

Hermione quickly looked at her watch. Luna was right; the match was starting in ten minutes.

"Oh my goodness," Hermione gasped as she rushed over to her jacket and scarf that she'd set down when they first arrived in the room. "I completely lost track of time."

"Sorry, that was my fault-" Neville started.

"No, no. I should've arranged for us to start earlier," the brunette interrupted.

"It's okay to sleep in a bit on Saturdays," Luna pointed out gently.

"Well, I knew the match was at eleven. I should've planned better. Now we'll probably have to sit way off in the corner," Hermione replied shortly.

"I didn't know you were so enthusiastic about quidditch," Luna commented as Hermione ushered them out of the classroom and down the hall at a daunting pace.

"I'm not," Hermione snapped. She glanced at Luna and suddenly felt self-conscious when she saw the peculiar smirk the blonde was giving her.

"Ah, so there's something else worthwhile at these events then," Luna continued, her smirk growing.

"What are you going on about? Honestly, Luna, now you've really lost it," Hermione quipped. Normally she would've felt terrible for saying such a thing, and she did – somewhere deep down – but right now Luna was crossing into dangerous territory. The onset of panic had quickly shifted her mind into self-defence mode.

"Hermione's best friends are on the team," Neville pointed out to Luna, coming to the brunette's rescue. "She's at every single practice, too."

Hermione wasn't too sure if the last part of Neville's statement was beneficial to her argument or just incriminated her more, but she appreciated the effort nonetheless.

"That's right," she agreed, "my best friends play, so of course I'm supportive of them and the team." She gave the sceptical blonde a decisive nod.

"Of course," Luna said simply. The look on her face infuriated Hermione and she picked up the pace even more so.

A few minutes later they were seated at the bottom of the stands far off in the corner. Hermione grumbled under her breath, but it was easily drowned out by the buzz of the crowd. The turnout at today's match and the energy everyone was emitting was overwhelming.

"I'm sorry if I upset you, Hermione," Luna said loudly as she leaned in towards the cross girl next to her in an effort to be heard over the roar of the crowd.

Hermione gave the blonde an annoyed glance. "What are you talking about?" she demanded.

Luna stared at Hermione with a look of contemplation. Slowly, a tiny, gentle smile grew across her lips. "Nothing," she replied as she turned her attention forward.

Hermione felt tempted to snap at Luna, "Out with it!" but she quickly concluded that from the way the girl had been acting, it would be far better to just let the topic go.

Frantic thoughts regarding Luna quite possibly knowing about Hermione's 'situation' raced through the sixth year's head. She didn't care much that Luna may know that she was gay, though Hermione strictly believed that such a thing was her business and her business alone...what bothered her greatly was the idea that she had so little control over herself that others could plainly see just how much she wanted Ginny.

The whole thing was ridiculous. She and Ginny just wouldn't work – plain and simple.

Hermione tried to distract herself from the thought, and when her internal controls didn't work, she quickly turned her attention to Neville and struck up a conversation with him.

"So, what did you think of yesterday's Herbology lesson?"

The boy's face glowed at the mention of his favourite subject. "Oh, it was fascinating! I had been reading up on Bungleweed prior, but had never physically handled it before-"

Neville's story was cut short when the announcer's voice boomed across the pitch. Exuberant cheers and applause broke out in eager anticipation of the game's commence.

Today's announcer was Zacharias Smith and Hermione groaned for she expected the worst of his commentary. Smith was not a big fan of any of Hermione's friends.

First, Smith introduced the Slytherin team; cheers erupted from the predominantly green section of the stands, while boos carried across the pitch from most everywhere else. Hermione narrowed her eyes in revulsion when she saw Malfoy's bleach blonde self swaggering out onto the pitch.

Next, Smith introduced the arrival of the Gryffindor team. Loud whoops and hollers echoes through the stands and Hermione clapped enthusiastically, manoeuvring her body to see the team walk out from the locker rooms in their quidditch uniforms. Her smile grew as she spotted Ginny moving to stand next to Harry, her long, flaming red hair making it difficult to miss her.

After the usual preliminary procedures, both teams were readied and the crowd sat in bated anticipation. At the whistle, the quaffle was thrown into the air and energy exploded once more as Gryffindor got possession.

"_And Gryffindor gets first possession of the quaffle. Bell heads down the pitch...passes to Weasley...-_" Hermione inched forward in her seat. "-_she ducks left, flies right, passes to newcomer Robins...can Robins stand the pressure? She closes in on the goal...She scores! Ten points to Gryffindor!_"

Everyone in Hermione's section screamed with joy over their team's first goal. Hermione clapped, she was still pleased that her team had scored, no doubt about that, but **she** had scored. The brunette's enthusiasm faded as she saw Ginny and Demelza high-fiving one another, flying side by side and talking animatedly. The curly haired girl did her best to not notice Luna's watchful eye upon her.

Gryffindor continued to play strongly. Hermione had been to every practice, but she had never seen Ginny fly like this. The red head was amazing. It didn't take a quidditch fanatic to realize the level of skill that Ginny possessed.

The way that Ginny flew made all the elaborate, often dangerous moves that she executed look absolutely effortless. The young athlete's movements were swift and sure. Even to Hermione's untrained eye she could see that at times Ginny had to hold back to stay with the other chasers, even Katie Bell.

"_-Montague dodges a bludger from Sloper...Bell shoots out in front of Montague...Oh! He loses his balance and drops the quaffle right into Weasley's possession. Here comes Crabbe and Pucey, looks like they're setting to close in on Weasley...Oh! Crabbe and Pucey collide! Weasley braked just as they were about to check her. Guess she's a bit of a better flyer than her brother, should take some lessons from your little sis, eh, Weasley?...-"_ Boos formed in a steady tone from around the stands, drowning out the snickers from the Slytherins. "_-Little Weasley rushes the oncoming chasers, Kirke and Sloper keeping her path clear of bludgers. She races towards the goal...can she do it? Yes! Another goal for Gryffindor! 90-20, better pick up the pace, Slytherin."_

People were jumping up and down in the stands by now and hardly noticed when Harry and Draco set off blazing down the pitch, the snitch obviously somewhere in their sights.

The noises from the crowd quickly died as they all spotted the two seekers and watched them manoeuvre in and around in an effort to catch the elusive snitch. Even from her seat on the other end of the playing area, Hermione could see that Draco was playing dirty and trying to knock Harry off of his broom.

It came as no surprise when Harry emerged from their tussle a short while later with the golden snitch raised high in the air. Somehow, Harry managed to avoid a sideswipe from Draco, despite being distracted with his and his team's victory.

Everyone in the stands, including Hermione, stood up and hollered loudly for Gryffindor – except for the Slytherins, who had started to glumly retreat back to the castle. Hermione, however, clapped with gusto to the point of her hands tingling with numbness.

"_I have to say, well played by Gryffindor. Nice flying Little Weasley, I know you don't play for my team, but maybe you can show me some of your tricks sometime-_"

The crowd gasped as Ginny dive-bombed the commentators' box and slammed into Smith. He was knocked out of his chair, but quickly got back up, face flushed with embarrassment and haughty indignation. Hermione covered her mouth in an effort to muffle her laugh and soon realized there was no need as many spectators were laughing heartily. The brunette's smile grew as she saw Professor McGonagall waving her finger at Ginny, who was still on her broom holding her hands up and feigning innocence. Surely the excuse she was giving the professor wouldn't hold up, but Ginny didn't look bothered, and if Hermione wasn't mistaken, Professor McGonagall wasn't looking terribly upset either.

After being waved off, Ginny flew towards the area that Hermione was seated in. Some of her neighbouring students ducked in frightful anticipation of Ginny's arrival, but Hermione knew very well that Ginny wasn't going to dive-bomb them.

"Hey Beautiful," Ginny called with a peppy wave and winning smile. "Try not to take too many points from me for that," she winked. "I'll see you after the game." With that, the redhead flew back to join the rest of her team.

Hermione cleared her throat and managed to reduce her broad smile into a shy grin as she quickly glanced around her self-consciously. Hermione hated her reaction, but she couldn't help it.

"It's okay."

Hermione snapped out of her thoughts as those words interrupted. It took the brunette a moment to realize it was Luna who had spoken. The blonde repeated herself.

"It's okay, you know...if she makes you happy. There's nothing wrong with that," Luna explained at seeing Hermione's confusion or at least reluctance to let on that she knew what the enigmatic Ravenclaw was talking about.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Hermione said as indifferently as possible, though she knew her eyes betrayed her. Nobody had ever confronted her before.

Luna smiled gently once more and said in a quiet voice, "You're so hard on yourself...what are you afraid of?"

Emotion constricted Hermione's throat and she struggled to compose herself. Luna didn't get it, did she? If she was so damned perceptive then why couldn't she see that in the end Ginny would just leave? Couldn't she see that this wasn't simple and it wasn't pretty and it couldn't be fixed by magic or fairy dust?

"Really, Luna, I haven't a clue what you're talking about," she managed and tried to muster an amused smile, but failed, feeling her bottom lip quiver. She furiously averted her eyes from Luna's patient ones and quickly bid her and Neville farewell with a tight voice, giving a fragmented excuse about astronomy homework.

The brunette had barely made it to an abandoned classroom when she burst into tears. Loud sobs escaped her mouth, surprising herself at the level of emotion behind them. She hurriedly cast a silencing charm on herself, turned and lock-charmed the door before tucking herself into a corner of the room away from any windows. She wrapped her arms around herself, slowly sinking to the floor as her tears grew heavier and just let the emotions that she'd worked so hard to bury, consume her.

**AN**: Hello everyone! I hope you liked the latest installment of the story - a bit more Hermione for you (with a dash of Luna in there as well). Thank you for reading :)


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The next morning Ginny woke up in a dull mood. She had come downstairs for breakfast and had been greeted with enthusiasm over her performance in yesterday's game. She should've been happy, the whole team had played great yesterday, but her good mood was stamped out when Hermione was nowhere to be found post-game.

Ginny recalled the events after yesterday's game.

She had tracked down Luna, who she had seen sitting with Hermione earlier, just to find out that Luna was just as unsure as her of the brunette's whereabouts.

"She said she had to work on her astronomy homework," Ginny recalled Luna telling her slowly, her eyes expressing a touch of sympathy.

"Oh, right, of course," Ginny had answered as best she could, trying to look indifferent. "Thanks for coming out and supporting Gryffindor, Luna. I know somebody was glad to see you," she winked as she nodded her head in Harry's direction.

Luna was about to respond when Ginny gave her a quick wave and said she had to go.

Ginny hadn't felt like sticking around long for the celebrations. She had gone, yet again, off in search for Hermione, and yet again, turned up with nothing. That routine was starting to get old.

Ginny wondered if she had been a bit too forward the past couple of weeks – calling Hermione beautiful and all. Perhaps she had misinterpreted the comfort between the two.

Eventually resigning to settling herself in the library, Ginny had plucked a random book off of the shelf and begun reading half-heartedly. She tried to make it not incredibly obvious that she was eyeing the door every time someone walked in.

After putting herself through a couple of hours of disappointment, Ginny sluggishly made her way to the Great Hall to grab dinner. She saw her fellow Gryffindors gathered around at the table talking excitedly, likely still high off of their earlier victory.

She found a spot next to Neville, sat down and began to fill her plate with food wordlessly. The lanky boy greeted her enthusiastically when he realized she was there, and quickly reined it in upon seeing her glum face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, clearly perplexed.

"Nothing, just tired," Ginny replied, giving him a cursory smile.

He looked suspicious of her, but played along, "Oh, that makes sense. You did great today."

"Thanks, Neville, I appreciate it," she said.

"That was really funny when you crashed into Smith," he whispered unnecessarily. "He got what he deserved," he laughed.

Ginny snorted at the recollection. "Yeah, he did."

A moment passed and Ginny ventured to ask Neville if he knew where Hermione had gone.

"No," he said as he looked up in contemplation. "She took off in a hurry though. Think she might've been upset."

Ginny's face dropped again. So it was true, she had upset Hermione with her silly comments. She felt her temper escalating and angrily berated herself for how careless she had been. If she kept this up they wouldn't be friends at all by the end of the year.

Returning her attention back to the present, Ginny walked to the Great Hall in search of sustenance. Her stomach rumbled in upset over not being probably fed yesterday.

When Ginny walked into the dining hall she felt her nerves constrict her throat at seeing the familiar bushy-haired girl sitting at the Gryffindor table. To the redhead's great fortune, there was no one sitting next to her. Hindering her eagerness, Ginny casually sat down next to her friend.

"Morning, everyone," she said pleasantly as she reached out for a few strips of bacon.

"Morning, Ginny."

"Morning, Gin."

"Hello, Ginny," Hermione greeted quietly. The greeting wasn't cold, or short, it was just...different.

"How is everyone?" Ginny asked.

"Good, thanks."

"Doin' fine, you?"

"Well, thank you." Hermione again.

Ginny was a little put off by Hermione's mannerisms; the girl had hardly looked at her since she sat down.

Gulping down a piece of toast, Ginny racked her brain for a decent conversation piece. Suddenly, an idea struck her.

"Hey, are you busy today?" She asked hopefully as she turned to Hermione.

"Yes," Hermione frowned. "I still have to work through a translation for Ancient Runes before tomorrow morning."

"Oh okay," Ginny nodded, "but do you have maybe an hour or so free?"

Hermione exhaled loudly. "Maybe. Why?"

"I was just wondering if you wanted to go to Hogsmeade. I just wanted to look around, get out of the castle. You've been working really hard, you could probably use a break," she suggested.

Hermione didn't look pleased, but her eyes had softened somewhat. "I don't know, Gin. I have a lot to do...,"

"Come on, 'Mione," Ginny implored, drawing out the girl's name. "You deserve a break."

Hermione continued to look at Ginny sceptically, but Ginny felt she was close.

"Please. I'll treat you to a butterbeer."

So much for not being forward, Ginny derided herself.

The elder girl returned her attention to the food in front of her, before speaking, "Fine. But only a couple of hours. I wasn't kidding, Ginny, I have a lot to do."

Ginny smiled brightly, "Great. Don't worry, we'll be on time."

After the girls had eaten, they went up to their dorms to grab their winter wear to prepare themselves for the trek to Hogsmeade.

Ginny looked over affectionately at the shorter girl whose nose was now red from the cold outside. They followed the cobble streets, which were not yet covered in snow, and eventually reached the little village. The street was bustling with students; apparently, Ginny was not the only one with this idea.

"So, where did you want to go?" Hermione asked as she looked to the younger girl.

"I need to go to Scrivenshaft's," the fifth year answered as she led them further along High Street. "I've practically worn my quill down to nothing, what with all this studying for O.W.L.s. But I guess it's not so bad, I've had that quill for years. It's served its time."

Hermione was probably one of the only students who would look eager to go to a quill shop, but Ginny was glad. She was aware that Hermione had visited the store previously in search of a quill and expected that the older girl wouldn't be opposed to browsing.

Once inside the shop, Hermione's mood was vastly different from her mood earlier in the dining hall. She was now leading Ginny around the shop asking numerous questions about Ginny's quill preferences, as if the girl was going to purchase a broom or something. A fond smirk crossed the redheaded girl's face as she let the brunette drag her up and down the rows.

An amazing amount of time later, the girls finally left the shop and Ginny was the proud owner of a new quill. She had no idea it could take so long to buy a quill or that there was so much to consider in such a purchase, but Hermione had shown her otherwise.

"That was riveting," Hermione said, her face still glowing. "I expect I'll have to buy a new one soon, too. You'll come with me then, won't you?"

"Of course," Ginny laughed as they walked aimlessly down High Street.

Examining the shop titles as they walked leisurely down the street, Ginny spotted a shop that would be a sure winner with her studious companion.

"Want to go into Tomes and Scrolls?" she asked casually.

"Do I!"

Hermione grabbed her arm yet again and pulled her towards the store. Ginny coughed once inside, as when the door opened and closed it had sent small clouds of dormant dust flying up into the air.

The owner of the small shop greeted Hermione by name and Hermione did the same. The fifth year smiled to herself as she began to scan the titles of the books that lay stacked on the shelves. She could only imagine what kind of heaven Hermione was in right now; this type of store was right up her alley.

Suddenly, she heard a gasp come from the girl. Ginny turned in question to see Hermione looking at a large tome that looked absolutely archaic. The youngest Weasley was half afraid that the book would fall apart just from Hermione's careful touch.

"It's an original copy of 'Hogwarts: A History'," she exclaimed in a hushed voice.

Ginny couldn't say that she was as impressed, but she did know that there weren't many originals lying about. And she was also well aware that 'Hogwarts' was one of Hermione's favourite reads – minus the inaccurate account on house elves.

"What?" Hermione asked with a sheepish laugh as she held the tome to her chest.

"Hm?" Ginny hadn't realized that she was likely staring at the poor girl, affectionately, but still staring. "Nothing," she smiled.

"Hm," Hermione responded, still bashful. "Do you think I should get it?"

"If you don't get it, I'll get it for you," Ginny responded easily.

Hermione laughed appreciatively and flashed a smile Ginny's way. A moment's deliberation later, she nodded to no one in particular and said, "Okay" as she walked to the owner, book in hand.

Stepping back out into the brisk winter air, Hermione inhaled earnestly before letting it out in a satisfied sigh. "This was a great idea, Ginny. Thank you for inviting me," she said.

"You're welcome," Ginny replied trying not to yelp in excitement as Hermione hooked her arm with hers.

A furious blush raced up Ginny's cheeks as Hermione leaned into her and sighed once more.

"Where should we go now?" she asked looking out down the street.

The fifth year was too busy staring at her cuddly companion to even know what shops they were near.

"Do you have a dress for Professor Slughorn's Christmas party yet?" The brunette asked.

Ginny was taken aback. Neither of them had mentioned the party since they had been informed of it at his first dinner several weeks ago. The young Weasley had been planning on wearing the same dress as she had to the Yule ball, sadly. She had earned some money over the summer, but not enough for a new formal dress. The best she could hope for if she were to get something new, was to find something remotely suitable from Gladrags Wizardwear, but she wasn't about to hold her breath on that one.

"Um, kind of. I hadn't really thought too much of it," she compromised, a little embarrassed.

"I overheard Lavender and Parvati talking about a new dress shop here," Hermione stated. "It's supposed to be in a tiny crook hidden down at the end of the street."

"Oh?" Ginny said as she tried to imagine where it would be.

"Do you want to go?"

"Sure," the redhead replied. "Are you looking for a dress?"

"You could say that," Hermione responded.

The older witch led them down to the end of the street and it appeared to end. Both girls looked around in search of the rumoured shop.

"Hm," Hermione said as she pulled away from Ginny and tapped a finger against her lip, scanning the area. "Ah," she said finally as she moved forward to a tall, narrow crack in the bricks of one of the buildings. Pulling out her wand she tapped a brick near the crack, mumbling an incantation under her breath that Ginny couldn't make out.

Suddenly, the crack widened to reveal a shop-full of dresses and gowns.

"Oh, wow," Ginny exclaimed as Hermione walked through, having to duck as the crack had not opened to a size for comfortable entry. She turned and offered her hand to Ginny, who smiled and took it a little timidly.

"Welcome, ladies!" A female voice called out from the back of the store.

They turned to see a middle aged woman, dressed very extravagantly, and beckoning to them.

"I'm glad to see you found the place. You saw the sign, I trust?" She continued.

"Er, not so much," Hermione replied, a little afraid of offending the owner. "I overheard my roommates telling me about your shop. I thought we should check it out."

"Wise girl, you are," the woman said with a wily smile as she pointed a finely manicured finger at the brunette. "If there's anything I can help you girls find, please let me know."

"Thank you," they said in unison.

Ginny started looking at the dresses that were before her. They were absolutely breathtaking – she had never seen such gorgeous gowns. She reached forward and turned the tag on one of the dresses. Her head nearly exploded. She could practically afford a whole year's worth of supplies for Hogwarts with that kind of money.

"Ginny, come here," she heard Hermione beckon from a few rows over.

The redhead walked over, still in a bit of a daze and looked at the girl questioningly. She was shocked back to reality when Hermione held a dress out against her body, gauging the image before her.

"Try this on," she said finally as she held the dress up further to Ginny.

"Oh no, really, I couldn't," the young Weasley stammered, the multi-figure price tag still fresh in her mind.

"Nonsense," Hermione said firmly as she pushed the dress at her once more. "Try it on."

Before she knew it, Ginny was being steered towards the dressing room in the back, before being closed into it, the dress clutched in her hands.

Ginny held the dress out and finally took a solid look at it. It was deep blue and dipped down in the front, sure to show off a bit of cleavage. She gawked at the thought of it, unsure why Hermione would pass it off on her. Her face reddened at the possibilities.

"I'm waiting!" the bossy brunette called out from somewhere out in the store.

Scowling a little, Ginny promptly climbed out of her regular clothes and slid into the dress. To her surprise, the dress adjusted itself so that it fit her perfectly. She looked in the mirror that was set up in the stall and she begrudgingly admitted that the dress looked good. Too bad she could never afford it.

"Come out, I want to see it," Hermione commanded.

Ginny soundlessly mocked her friend before sighing exasperatedly and opened the changing room door.

There, Hermione stood, waiting impatiently. Ginny looked at Hermione whose expression was reminiscent of when she was studying a particularly difficult passage in a textbook; that realization not being very comforting to Ginny.

Eventually, Hermione nodded her head before telling Ginny to get changed and help her pick out a dress of her own.

The young Weasley couldn't help but feel a little bit disappointed at Hermione's lack of a reaction. She got changed into her original clothes and ventured out into the shop again to find the older girl examining a red dress.

Just seeing Hermione hold the dress against her body made Ginny go weak in the knees.

Upon noticing her friend's presence, Hermione looked up. "Ready to go?" She asked as she hung the red dress back up.

"Yeah," Ginny said, eyeing the red dress, being sure to mask her remorse over the missed opportunity they were leaving behind. "Sure you didn't want to try that dress on? It probably would've looked good," she said as they stepped outside once more.

Hermione peered at the younger girl curiously. "I'm sure. So where to now?"

"How about Three Broomsticks?" Ginny suggested, being sure to keep her arm readily available in case Hermione wished to grab it again. No takers.

"Sure," she replied in a light voice.

The Three Broomsticks was bustling. The jumbled waves of noisy chatter hit them the second they opened the door to the inn. Looking around, Ginny scanned the quaint facility to see if she could spot a free table. Pointing soundlessly at a table in the back corner of the inn, the girls weaved in and out of the crowd before settling themselves into their seats across from one another.

"Gosh, it's busy," Hermione commented, having to speak louder than usual to be heard over the other patrons.

"I know," Ginny complained as she loosened her scarf before removing it and placing it on the seat next to her, Hermione doing the same.

"Can I get you young ladies anything?" Madam Rosmerta asked as she appeared next to them.

Ginny looked to Hermione briefly before turning her attention to Madam Rosmerta, "Two butterbeers, please. Thank you."

"Sure thing," the woman smiled as she walked away to fill their orders.

A short while later, the two girls sat sipping their warm mugs of butterbeer. Ginny relished the feeling of the warm beverage as it soothed her throat.

"Thanks again for coming with me, today," Ginny said over her still-full mug.

"No, thank you," Hermione smiled as she gently placed her drink down. "I have to say this does beat translating runes."

"I know what you mean," Ginny laughed. "When we get back I have to work on my potions reading."

The brunette nodded. "Well, if you want to join me, I'll be working on my homework in the library."

"Sure, sounds great," the redhead readily accepted the invitation. She felt pleased with herself and her efforts today, knowing the value of Hermione's gesture. She reflected upon the dynamic between the two of them right now, and was thankful for the dramatic improvement.

"You know, I thought you were mad at me yesterday. Or this morning even," Ginny said a little tentatively. A small voice in her told her to just drop the topic, but she knew she wouldn't be content until she knew a little more.

"Oh?" Hermione asked as she took a gulp of her drink. "Why?" She frowned.

"Well," Ginny said, "I thought I'd see you after the match, but you weren't around. And then this morning, you were...a bit off."

Hermione laughed, "You can't keep assuming I'm upset with you just because I'm studying. You know how important my grades are to me." Ginny tried to look convinced. The brunette sighed, placing her drink down again. "I was going to meet you, but the common room was absolute chaos and I needed a quiet place to study. Besides, I'm sure you were kept occupied with the festivities."

Ginny frowned at the comment, but let it go. "Hm, okay. Just as long as you weren't upset or anything."

"Why would I be upset, Ginny? Did someone say something?" The girl asked, her voice rising a touch.

"No," Ginny covered, though it was untrue. She surprised herself with the lie, but chalked it up to not wanting Hermione to be offended. "I was just wondering, that's all."

Hermione looked like she was about to argue, but instead relaxed and took another sip of her butterbeer.

"You played really well yesterday," she said in a sort of resigned voice.

"Oh, thank you...it was the team, really. Not me," the young athlete said.

"No, you did well," Hermione insisted. "Though, others did well too," she added as a bit of an afterthought.

The redhead laughed, "Thanks. So you didn't mind how I sort of went after Smith?"

Hermione was about to take a sip of her drink, but stopped when she laughed cheerfully. After a few false starts, she was able to manage a sip.

"No," she giggled a bit more. "It was rather amusing."

Ginny felt her confidence surge over witnessing Hermione's approval. She was about to speak when an assortment of cheers originated from the entrance of the inn. Both girls turned to see a gaggle of Gryffindors walk in. Ginny did her best to sink into her seat and she noticed Hermione remaining motionless as well.

"Ay, Sis!" Ginny heard Ron call out from behind her. She cursed under her breath and turned around, a tight smile on her face.

"Hello, Ronald," she said through gritted teeth. "Fancy seeing you here..."

"I know, eh?" He said as he reached them. He had his arm around Katie Bell's waist, and behind them stood a nervous looking Harry with Luna next to him, and beside her stood Demelza.

"Well," he continued on, "I heard you mentioning Hogsmeade this morning at breakfast and I thought it'd be a good place to celebrate yesterday's victory. I rounded up the troops and here we are," he announced jubilantly as he gestured to the gang. "I even managed to talk our newest Chaser into joining us," he finished with an exaggerated wink that Demelza couldn't see.

A frog formed in Ginny's throat and she was tempted to throw her Butterbeer at Ron. He wouldn't stop pushing this Demelza thing. Didn't he get that she wasn't into her?

Without waiting for a response, Ron motioned for everyone to sit down at the table previously shared by only Hermione and Ginny.

Ginny looked to her friend and saw that her mood was just as sour as her own. The youngest Weasley knew that Hermione was never too thrilled when all anyone talked about was quidditch, and with the quidditch team here, plus Luna, there was sure to be plenty of quidditch talk.

Ron, the bugger, had pulled up a seat for Demelza next to Ginny and he'd whispered a quick, "Go for it!" in her ear before sitting next to Katie.

Ginny cleared her throat loudly.

"Hi Ginny," Demelza greeted, sounding a bit embarrassed. "I hope you don't mind us joining you. It wasn't my idea...Hello, Hermione, how are you?" She smiled warmly at the silent brunette.

"Hello, Demelza. I'm fine, thank you. Yourself?" Hermione replied politely.

"Fine, thanks," the new chaser smiled. "I was just apologizing for interrupting your lunch. I know we weren't invited."

"Oh, no," Hermione gave a small smile. "It's quite alright. And that's very considerate of you." Hermione knocked back the last of her drink and put some money on the table. "Well, I should get going," she announced. "I was only supposed to be here a couple of hours, but it's gone much longer than that."

She squeezed past Demelza, and seemed ignorant of the questioning looks the group was giving her.

"Thank you for the lovely morning," she said quietly to Ginny, who sat following the brunette with her gaze, dumbstruck.

"Oh wait, take your money, I said I'd pay," Ginny said, facing forward to grab the money off the table, but when she turned around again she just caught a glimpse of Hermione leaving through the front door.

She looked forward again to the empty spot where the brunette had been, trying to digest what just happened. She looked around at her friends who looked about as clueless as her. All except Luna Lovegood, that is.

Luna looked at Ginny with knowing eyes. Ginny shot a glare at the Ravenclaw girl, but immediately felt guilty and ashamed.

She had tracked down Luna shortly after they had all arrived at Hogwarts this year to ask about the girl's more-peculiar-than-usual behaviour on the train when Hermione had arrived in their compartment. The girl has been extremely mysterious and had talked in riddles about the whole thing. One thing was clear though, she wasn't willing to spill any of her knowledge and had simply offered Ginny a final smile of encouragement before skipping off.

Ginny looked down at her half-empty drink and her eyebrow arched at what she saw.

The words "_You should talk to her_" were written out in what little foam she had left in her drink.

Her eyes shot up to Luna, but was disappointed when she saw Luna laughing with Harry over something, directing no attention to the youngest Weasley. However, Ginny knew that it was Luna's doing, and she somehow knew that Luna wasn't referring to Demelza either.

**AN**: Thank you to everyone for all your kind words and for taking the time to read this story. I really appreciate all the feedback and support. I hope you enjoyed this latest update. Take care!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**_Hermione POV_**

Hermione set her chin down to rest on her folded hands. She let out an exaggerated breath, causing the parchment in front of her to lift temporarily off the table. She had just returned from Hogsmeade a short while ago, leaving Ginny with the quidditch team and Luna. The brunette was unimpressed with how she handled the earlier Three Broomsticks situation, but she had been having a great day with Ginny until the lot of them swooped in and spoiled everything.

The sixth year's brows furrowed at the thought of Ron trying to set Ginny and Demelza up. What a jerk.

But, fact of the matter was that Hermione hadn't truly made a move for Ginny. In fact, she was creating problems by repeatedly pulling stunts like today, pushing Ginny away – right into Demelza's arms too.

Hermione screwed her eyes shut.

The brunette sat back up and eyed the library clock. She felt irritation brewing inside of her, knowing that Ginny was with that girl discussing their "exciting" quidditch plays.

Hermione looked down at her Hogwarts: A History book and pushed it away angrily. Of course she was too boring. Quill shopping! When Ginny wanted to go out and buy a damn quill, Hermione was the perfect partner. If studying was involved, Hermione was most useful. But beyond that, she wasn't exactly a joy to be around.

Trying her best to compose herself, Hermione pulled her Ancient Runes text out of her bag. She flipped open to the page of her assignment and began to write out the translation on a blank piece of parchment.

The brunette worked her way through a few passages, but was disappointed to find that the work didn't satisfy her in its usual way.

Several minutes later, Hermione heard quick, light footsteps heading her way that she recognized to be Ginny's. Hermione hastily straightened herself in her chair and rearranged some papers unnecessarily. Plastering a look of deep concentration on her face, she willed herself to not turn around to greet the younger witch in the enthusiastic way that she truly wanted to.

"Hey, Hermione, I tried to get here sooner," Ginny greeted a little short of breath as she threw herself into the chair next to Hermione. "Sorry about what happened back there. I didn't know they were going to show up."

The studious witch scribbled a few characters down as she spoke, "That's alright, Ginny. I know you guys are excited about beating Slytherin, and so you should be. I told you ahead of time though, I had to get this work done." She lifted her eyes from her parchment to look at Ginny, "You could have stayed longer, it's not like I wouldn't be here all day anyway," she said with a wry smile.

The redhead shrugged her shoulders, "That's okay, I wanted to come. I told you I had work to do, too."

Ginny proceeded to pull her Potions textbook out of her book bag; Hermione noted that the girl must have made a pit stop at the dorms before coming to the library.

Plopping her book on the table, Ginny caught sight of Hermione's newly purchased original volume of Hogwarts: A History.

"Oh hey!" She whispered excitedly as she pulled it towards her. "Have you started reading it yet?" She asked as she flipped through a few pages.

"No," Hermione said tersely.

The redhead nodded and put the book back down before opening her Potions textbook.

Hermione continued on with her translation, now feeling self-conscious about her "Hogwarts" book and wishing she had put it away.

"What are you working on?" Ginny asked as she leaned in, her voice laced with child-like curiosity.

"What does it look like, Ginny? It's Ancient Runes. I told you already that this is what I had to work on," Hermione replied impatiently as she carried on with the passage.

"Merlin, I was just asking," Ginny snapped back as she pulled away and returned to her own studies.

Hermione scolded herself as she watched her friend out of the corner of her eye. Hermione could see that Ginny was now in a mood. The brunette hadn't fully intended to snap at her, but she just couldn't seem to stop herself. However, no amount of excuses could make Hermione think that Ginny deserved to be treated so poorly.

"Did you need help with anything?" Hermione asked hesitantly.

"I'm fine," Ginny replied flatly.

"Mm."

The prefect stared blankly at her parchment, unsure of what to do or say. Maybe there was a book she could read on complicated friendships/relationships...

"Why is it important to stir a scouring potion counter-clockwise? I know I read it before, I just can't find it again...," Ginny trailed off, not lifting her eyes from her book.

Hermione's face lit up as she eagerly answered Ginny's question and subsequent questions.

Her Ancient Runes was a good as forgotten as she helped Ginny with her Potions. The redhead would've been fine on her own, but Hermione wanted to keep their interaction going.

Three feet of parchment notes later, Ginny leaned back in her chair and stretched, groaning loudly. Madam Pince shot a harsh "shhh" in their direction and the girls giggled under their breath.

Hermione was pleased that Ginny was in a better mood again and any hard feelings from earlier seemed to be forgotten.

"Sorry to keep you from your work," Ginny apologized with a nod towards Hermione's stack of papers and books. "I really appreciate your help though."

"My pleasure," Hermione responded with a gentle smile. "Besides, even with this setback, I'm still on schedule."

The fifth year laughed as she rolled up her parchments. "You're very organized, Miss Granger."

"Well, if I hope to pass my N.E.W.T.s, I need to be," Hermione explained as she, too, packed up.

Ginny rose from her a seat a few moments later. "Ready?"

"Yes," Hermione answered as she slung her bag onto her shoulder. She was about to scoop up her oversized copy of 'Hogwarts' in her arms, along with the couple of Transfiguration books she had checked out earlier, when Ginny reached over and snatched them up in her arms.

"Oh, here," Hermione said as she held out her hands for Ginny to place the books in.

"Nope. Let's go," the young athlete replied as she began to walk past Hermione.

"Ginny, thank you, but I can carry them," Hermione stressed as she reached out for the books again only to have Ginny pull them away once more.

"I think you've got enough to carry," Ginny commented and gestured to the book bag that was visibly weighing Hermione down. The older girl blushed lightly as she readjusted the bag self-consciously.

Ginny chuckled good-naturedly, "Okay, come on."

After their walk to Gryffindor Tower, the girls climbed through the portrait hole and began to settle themselves on the chairs by the fire.

Hermione set her bag down with an audible thud and relief rushed through her body. She turned, realizing that Ginny was laughing at her.

"What's so funny?" Hermione asked with as much indignation as she could muster.

Ginny nodded to the overwhelming pile of Hermione's books on the floor, Crookshanks having now perched himself on one of the stacks, purring at his owner. "I think you should take this as a sign that you're studying too much at once."

"Perhaps...," Hermione conceded reluctantly as she reached out to scratch her pet behind his ears.

There was a stir of commotion at the other end of the common room, causing both girls to peer over in an attempt to see what the cause of the excitement was.

Everyone in the room crowded around the windows and the two girls wandered over as well.

Hermione reached the group first and stood on her tip-toes to peek over the heads in front of her.

"Oh, Ginny, it's snowing!" Hermione announced happily.

A blush crept up on her face when she felt Ginny's hand on the small of her back as the girl looked out the windows, also balancing on her tip-toes.

"Oh, wow, it's really coming down," Ginny stated.

After "ooing" and "aahing" for a few minutes, the group dissipated and the girls returned to their seats.

"Hey, Hermione," Ginny said as she settled into her seat. "Have you figured out your plans for holidays yet? I know it's still a month away and all, but..."

"My parents and I are going to Greece for a couple of weeks, but outside of that not much."

"Greece? That'll be exciting. I've heard it's really beautiful," Ginny said.

"Yes, I've never been, but my parents went years ago and loved it," Hermione replied. "What about you, Gin? What do you have planned?"

"Not much," Ginny laughed. "Try not to lose my mind sharing the house with all my brothers again. But seriously, I'll probably get in some shifts at Fred and George's.

"If you have time, you should spend a few days at the Burrow with us," the youngest Weasley suggested. "The family would love to see you."

Hermione resisted the panic that was developing in her chest. She had been to the Burrow numerous times over the holidays, but considering how her feelings for Ginny had grown even more since the summer, sharing a room with Ginny would now be a whole other story.

The older girl quickly filtered through various responses before eventually relenting. "Sure. I'll speak with my parents first, but they should be fine with it."

"Great," Ginny smiled.

* * *

"What are you so chipper about? Did you get 120% on our Charms assignment?" Ron asked sardonically.

The memory of Hermione's earlier brief visit to Hogsmeade during lunch flashed through her head. She smiled inwardly at the results of that trip and the possibilities beyond it.

"No, Ron, I did not. I only got 97%, if you really must know. Why are you in such a rotten mood?" Hermione retorted.

Sinking into the couch a little, Ron replied, "Katie's mad at me. Not that I have a bleeding clue why, though." His eyes lighting up, he looked to Hermione. "Hey, maybe you could speak to Katie for me?"

"Speak to her yourself," Hermione said incredulously. "Besides, you know I'm not close with Katie. If you're desperate, talk to Ginny, she and Katie are closer."

"Aw, I don't want to talk to my sister about my relationship problems," Ron whined. "'Sides," he pouted, "she'll make fun of me."

Hermione fought back a smirk as her mind conjured up the scenario in her head. Most certainly Ginny would make fun of him. But in this case, Hermione would have to say that the girl would be justified.

"Well, I can't help you," Hermione said.

Ron sighed dramatically, "Geez, what good is it having a girl as a best mate if she can't get me the details on other girls' gossip."

"I wouldn't tell you even if I knew," Hermione said defiantly.

"Well, I doubt Ginny will tell me either," Ron realized sadly. "Though, it couldn't hurt to try. Have you seen her today?"

"No," Hermione replied casually, though she herself had been wondering where Ginny was today.

"Maybe she's out with Demelza," Ron guessed with an amused smirk.

The hairs on the back of Hermione's neck stood on end at the mention of the girl's name, but did her best to contain herself.

"Oh, why would you say that?" She asked as she pulled her book closer on her lap and began petting Crookshanks who sat quietly next to her.

"I dunno," Ron said. "That Demelza's got a thing for Ginny though. I don't know why Ginny's taking her time with her."

"Maybe she doesn't like her," Hermione replied, with perhaps a bit too much conviction.

"Maybe," the Weasley boy replied. "Don't see why she wouldn't, though. Girl's cute, nice, seems smart, they're both quidditch-obsessed," he rattled off.

Hermione felt her heart sink and couldn't help but feel some sort of betrayal from Ron's words. She knew he didn't know how she felt about Ginny, but all that meant was that his words relayed what he truly believed; he didn't have to worry about protecting his friend's feelings.

"Quite right...," she offered. "Maybe Ginny just hasn't realized it yet," Hermione stated, doing her best to steady her voice.

"Yeah, maybe. That's what we're all hoping for anyway," he said.

"Who's 'we'?" Hermione asked, suddenly agitated.

"Harry, Katie, the team, really. Think they'd be good together," he responded as he stretched out across the couch.

"Oh...that's great," Hermione said as she looked down at her book. Ron's words devastated her, and she bit down hard on her lip to distract herself from the whirlwind of emotion she was feeling. "Well, if she's who makes Ginny happy, then I hope they get together."

Her conversation with Ron veered off topic after that, and Hermione was thankful for the reprieve. This angst and uncertainty was getting to be too much for her. She'd never understood how people got so worked up over romances and such, but she could finally see why – and she hated it. She didn't want to feel this way anymore. She just wanted to be able to focus on her studies again, spend time with friends and to be completely content with that, to want nothing more.

What was the point anyway? Even if Ginny did like her, really, Hogwarts was all she and Ginny had in common. Once that was over, their lives would be entirely different and there'd be nothing to mask that any longer.

Yes, Hermione was doing them both a favour.

"Hey, guys!"

Recognizing the voice that greeted them, Hermione lifted her eyes to see Ginny walking towards them as the portrait door swung shut behind her. The redhead smiled at them before coming to stand next to the chair Hermione was seated in.

"You guys missed it. Malfoy was being his obnoxious self and taunting Harry, then when he was sauntering away he slipped in a pool of pudding that was on the floor," Ginny laughed heartily. "I don't know how the pudding got there, but I have a sneaking suspicion that someone by the name of Luna was involved," the fifth year finished her anecdote with a sly smile.

"Hello, Crookshanks," she greeted in a light voice as she reached across Hermione to pet the furry cat. "Sorry I didn't say 'hi' earlier, someone was hiding you," Ginny said as she gave the brunette a teasing smile.

Hermione gulped down a sigh. Yes...she was doing them a favour, but it would be a very, very difficult favour to follow through on.

"Are you going to be down here for a while?" Ginny asked, facing Hermione.

Steadying her gaze, Hermione answered, "I imagine so. There's still a lot I need to read through."

"Okay," Ginny said, her eyes bright. "I'll be right back." And with that, Ginny took off and bounded up the stairs.

Hermione tried to repress a smile spurred on by Ginny and her enthusiasm.

"Now Ginny's off her rocker too," Ron mumbled with raised eyebrows. Turning his attention back to the brunette, he said, "Do you ever stop reading? And what's so amusing?"

"Nothing," Hermione said crossly. "Other than I'll pass all my exams and you might not."

"Hey!" Ron exclaimed. "I'll do just fine, thank you very much."

"Are you guys fighting again?" Harry interjected, having just come through the portrait hole himself as he dropped into the chair next to Ron. Both parties involved just frowned at Harry, indicating they didn't wish to answer. "Okay then...," he trailed off.

Hermione lifted her textbook off her lap and began to read when she was interrupted by the sound of Ron's voice once more.

"What's wrong, mate?"

Hermione raised her eyes over her book to see that Ron's question was directed towards Harry, who was slouching in his chair looking quite dejected.

"Is everything okay, Harry?" Hermione asked in concern.

"Oh, yeah, not bad," he replied as he looked between his two friends. "It's just that Slughorn's party is only a week from now and I still haven't asked Luna to be my date."

"What about a couple of weeks ago at Three Broomsticks? You two weren't together?" Hermione asked. She had just assumed that they were on a date that day.

Harry scoffed, "I wish. It was a casual outing, so I don't think she thought it meant anything more."

"Oh," Hermione pondered. "Well, weren't you just with her? You seem to be spending time together, so asking her out shouldn't be too terrible," Hermione said as gently as possible.

Harry just eyed her wearily.

"We usually see her after transfiguration on Thursdays. You should ask her to go for a walk with you, and ask her then about the party. Maybe you can speak with Hagrid ahead of time and see if he can get you around some of those creatures she's always talking about...granted they exist...," Hermione finished with a mumble loaded with scepticism.

Harry looked overwhelmed at Hermione's plan, but managed to agree to it. Then he turned the tables. "Have you asked anyone yet?"

"Asked anyone, what?"

The three looked up to see Ginny standing beside Hermione's chair, one hand holding a book while she leaned against the chair.

"Harry was just asking Hermione who she's taking to your guys' fancy slug party," Ron answered with a bit of disdain.

"Oooo," Ginny teased as she walked over to the couch and smacked Ron's feet off of it with her book, earning her a glare from the other Weasley.

"Well, who's the lucky guy?" Ginny prompted.

Hermione blushed and gave the group an irritated look. This was a very awkward position, indeed.

"I haven't decided yet," she announced finally. It wasn't a lie. They hadn't asked who she **wanted** to bring, so she was in the clear.

Before anyone could question her further, she turned the spotlight on Ginny. "And you? Who's the lucky girl?"

Ginny laughed uncomfortably as she avoided everyone's expectant stares.

"I don't know. And not necessarily a **girl** either. I was thinking Luna or Neville," she finally declared.

Harry's eyes widen in what looked to be fright.

"Not like **that**, Harry! Geez, Luna's a friend. But, good point, I imagine Luna will be taken?" she asked in a way that left Harry no room for dispute. "I'll ask Neville then," she decided.

"Well," Harry said, "I know someone else who would like to go with you," he winked at Ginny before sharing a laugh with Ron.

"No," she replied flatly as her face grew red.

"Yeah, Gin, come on," Ron joined in. "She's cute."

"Shut up!" Ginny yelled as she smacked him in the arm with her book.

The boys continued to tease Ginny while she continued to blush and fend off their provocations; Hermione didn't say a thing.

It took great effort for Hermione to not let tears well up in her eyes at hearing her best friends encourage her love interest to be with someone else. The fact that Ginny was fervently refusing to agree to ask Demelza out or acknowledge liking her as more than friends should have comforted Hermione, but sadly, it did not. Actually, it made things worse.

Any speck of her that believed that Ginny didn't like Demelza was quickly being overpowered by the evidence before her. Why else would Ginny blush so much or deny everything so strongly?

As Hermione tuned back into the conversation, she realized that the three were now recapping some of Ginny's and Demelza's plays from the team's practice the day before.

"_Not this again_," Hermione thought.

Ginny looked over at Hermione and the redhead's expression changed, catching Hermione off guard.

"Guys, enough quidditch talk for one day," she said, earning looks of surprise from the boys. She forged on, "I'm sure we have other things we can talk about. Or better yet, you guys bugger off and I'll study. That's what I came down here to do anyway."

"We were here before you," Ron argued.

"Well I was here before you, Ron, and I would like to study," Hermione chipped in. The contribution seemed to have gained Ginny's approval, as she now sat with a very smug look on her face.

"Let's go play some wizard's chess," Harry offered to Ron with a small laugh.

Ron reluctantly lifted himself off the couch and trudged towards their usual table.

"I'll leave the studying to you two ladies," he called over his shoulder as he walked away. Stopping suddenly, Ron turned around and asked, "Oi, Ginny, any idea why Katie might be upset with me?"

"Ask her yourself," Ginny replied easily without so much as looking his direction.

The poor boy's shoulders slumped in defeat before he wandered over to sit with Harry.

Once they were gone, Ginny opened her book and looked at Hermione pointedly, saying simply, "Boys."

A laugh escaped the brunette's mouth.

"Yes, boys."

Ginny had no idea just how right she really was.

**AN**: I fully acknowledge (and partially apologize) for the measured pace of this story. It is leading somewhere, I swear lol. So big, big thanks to all of you for having patience and staying tuned. I will likely post the next chapter sooner than usual since this chapter was probably a little less than thrilling. And, I don't typically do public shout-outs (PM is the way to go), but I have to say 'thanks' to Niki for being such a strong supporter - you're awesome!


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Silencio!"

Ginny flicked her wrist and pointed her wand at the frog that sat in front of her. At once, the frog failed to make further noise despite its efforts. Ginny looked on quite pleased with herself before directing her attention to the Ravenclaw sitting next to her.

Luna had just uttered the same spell in her usual airy way, the effectiveness of her spell not dampened at all by the easy way she delivered the incantation, as the Raven in front of her was now soundless as well. Instead of looking proud though, Luna looked rather sad at having silenced the creature before her. After promptly showing Professor Flitwick that she had successfully cast the charm, she said the counter-spell and released the raven from its silence.

"Oh finally," Luna said with relief.

Ginny smirked and cast the counter-spell on her frog under Luna's weary gaze.

"Thank you, Ginny," the blonde said with a look of approval on her face. "Parlehn was very distressed at not being able to make any of his usual sounds."

"Who?" The Gryffindor asked, confused.

"Your frog, of course," Luna replied simply as she gestured to the frog sitting in front of Ginny who was now enthusiastically ribbiting.

"You named him Parlehn?" Ginny asked while doing her best to suppress a laugh.

"He is quite content with that name, I can assure you," Luna promised.

"No, I don't doubt you," Ginny smiled. "I'm very sorry, Parlehn," she added as she turned to her frog. The apology earned Ginny a grand smile from her Ravenclaw friend.

Both girls looked up upon hearing a barrage of chatter and realized that class had been dismissed.

"Were you talking to your frog?" Demelza asked with an amused smile as she approached Ginny, Colin in tow.

"His name is Parlehn," Luna interjected as she gathered up her things.

"I was just apologizing to Parlehn," Ginny said in a very sympathetic voice, but was laughing with her eyes as she answered her fellow Chaser.

"Oh," Demelza's eyes shone knowingly, "I understand. And rightfully so, Ginny. I should go back and apologize to my frog, um, Latenda."

"Your frog isn't named Latenda," Luna said with an insulted look.

Ginny quickly focused her eyes elsewhere and choked back a laugh, trying to ignore the looks on her friends' faces.

"Well, Luna, we have to get ready, don't we?" the redhead prompted as she grabbed the still-insulted blonde and ushered her out of the class, glancing back to mouth "I'm sorry" to Demelza.

"So," Ginny continued, "are you excited about tonight?"

Luna's eyes lit up. "Oh yes, I expect the party will be great fun. Harry was so sweet when he asked me. We went for a walk and searched for the Crumple-Horned Snorkack, though we didn't have much luck, we did manage to find some Clabberts and that was quite fantastic."

Ginny smiled and was inwardly impressed with Harry. That was quite an elaborate plan and she'd have to congratulate him on his effort when she saw him next.

"You're going with Neville?" Luna asked.

"Yep," Ginny replied, straining to keep any disappointment out of her voice. Neville was a great friend, but she can't say that he was her first choice for whom to bring to the party.

"And who is Hermione bringing?" Luna asked as she gave Ginny a cursory glance.

Ginny bit back a groan and replied, "Ron."

"Oh," the blonde said in a tone that irritated Ginny. "Katie doesn't mind?"

"It's not a date...," Ginny more or less grumbled. "They're just going as friends."

"Okay," Luna replied lightly as she continued to skip down the hall. "What are you wearing tonight?"

Ginny shuddered as the image of her frilly, green monster of a dress flashed through her mind.

"The dress I wore to the Yule ball," she said flatly. "Wow, I went with Neville then too," she realized, "Merlin...pretty soon I'm going to be attending weddings with Neville..."

Luna turned to face Ginny, both still walking, and gave her a small smile. "Well, there are plenty of people other than Neville who would be willing to go with you."

Before Ginny had a chance to retort, Luna tacked on, "But you don't want to go with any of them, do you?"

Taken aback, Ginny looked at Luna for a few seconds before slowly responding, "No, not really."

Nodding sympathetically, Luna commented, "It's too bad you couldn't go with who you wanted to go with. I'm sure there are others who feel the same as you, though."

She was tempted to feel offended by Luna's pity, but knew that Luna didn't mean it in a negative way; she was just stating the truth. Wait-

"Wait, what makes you think there's someone I wanted to go with?" Ginny asked.

Luna gave her that increasingly annoying smile that said that she knew worlds more than she'd ever admit.

"Luna!" Ginny whispered accusingly.

"I'll see you at the party," Luna said warmly in a tone that indicated that their discussion was over. And with that, Luna skipped off towards Ravenclaw Tower.

Ginny stood in place for a moment longer, her glowering gaze following the carefree blonde. Why did she have to be so damned mysterious about it all? She wondered just what else Luna knew...

Upon entering the Gryffindor common room, Ginny saw the Golden Trio sitting in the corner, Harry and Ron were playing Wizard's Chess as Hermione watched. Ginny hastily headed up to her dorm, suppressing the jealousy that had been eating at her ever since she found out that Hermione had asked Ron to go to Slughorn's party. True, Hermione had told Ginny over the summer that she wasn't interested in Ron, and Ron did have a girlfriend to distract him, but Ginny couldn't help but feel a bit of jealousy over the whole situation. She wanted to go with Hermione and had formulated various ways of asking Hermione to go with her, but none of those ideas had come to fruition. Instead, she had found herself asking Neville when she ran into him on a particularly downtrodden day of his. So now she was unable to go with Hermione, but at least Neville felt better – bless his heart.

Ginny opened the door to the room she shared with some of her fellow fifth years and tossed her bag on the floor next to her bed. She lethargically began to rummage through her things to get the necessary clothes and accessories she'd need to wear for the party. Pulling her dress out, she viewed it with a mild look of disgust and went to lay it out on the bed. As she set it down, something caught her eye.

"_What in the world...,_" she thought as she spotted a brown, paper-wrapped package sitting on her pillow. She picked it up and examined it, turning the packing over in her hands looking for a note of some sort, but finding none. The package was light and it was somewhat flimsy in her hands, but she was still unsure as to what it could be.

With a shrug she peeled the flaps off carefully where the tape had been placed, for some reason being more delicate with the package than she normally would have been. As she began to unwrap it, her eyes spotted a brilliant blue colour coming from inside and she quickly tossed away the paper to reveal the gorgeous blue dress that she had tried on in Hogsmeade.

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped, but she found she couldn't make a sound. There was only one person who knew about this dress. The realization of it all left Ginny completely astounded and utterly unsure of what to do. Why in the world would Hermione get this for her? What would possess the older girl to spend that kind of money on her? Why?

Without another thought Ginny raced out of the room, the dressed still clutched tightly in her hands. She barreled down the stairs, not caring in the least about the noise she was making, and came bursting out into the common room.

"Hermione!" She called, but was disappointed to see that the corner that the three had been in earlier was now abandoned. She quickly scanned the room and spotted Lavender and Parvati staring at her, clearly thinking she was crazy.

"Have you seen Hermione?" Ginny asked breathlessly.

"She left a few minutes ago. She had all her things for that party tonight, I imagine she's gone to the prefects' bathroom or something," Lavender replied, still giving Ginny a peculiar look.

"Great, thanks," Ginny replied as she rushed out of the room. She jogged to the prefects' bathroom and came to a halt outside of the doors to take a steadying breath before whispering the password that she probably shouldn't know, but considering who her brothers were, it was inevitable that she'd know.

The doors opened and she walked swiftly inside.

There, standing in front of one of the large mirrors was a beautiful figure that made Ginny stop dead in her tracks. Hermione was leaning into the mirror in an effort to put her earrings in, and she was in the amazing red dress that she had examined at the dress shop in Hogsmeade. Just as Ginny had speculated, the dress looked astounding on the girl.

Some may not guess, what with the unflattering nature of the Hogwarts uniforms and robes, and the fact that Hermione tended to dress quite conservatively otherwise, but the sixth year's figure was svelte and a sight to behold. The red dress that she was wearing was the most revealing thing that Ginny had ever seen the girl in, except for maybe some shorts and t-shirts that she'd wear in the summer, but this was a whole other type of revealing. The dress was backless and the hem came down at an angle, ending above her knee on one side, and past the knee on the other.

Ginny gulped and thanked Merlin that Hermione had not yet seen her standing here, likely drooling all over the floor. Snapping her mouth shut and quickly clearing her head, Ginny again proceeded to approach the brunette.

"Hermione," she called.

Startled, the brunette nearly dropped the earring she was holding, but caught it and shot the intruder a look of irritation.

"Oh, Ginny," she said with a small laugh, her demeanour softening dramatically. "You scared me," she said as she returned to putting her earrings in.

"Sorry," Ginny mumbled as she moved forward again. Forgetting what she had come here for originally, Ginny stumbled over her words before finally getting a grip on herself. "I found this in my room today," she said holding up the dress for Hermione to see. "And I can't imagine anyone else getting it for me...," she trailed off, not sure what else to say.

Hermione turned and put her hand on the sink, leaning against it in a leisurely pose as she took a look at the dress Ginny was holding out to her.

"I don't know what you're getting at Ginny," she said nonchalantly.

Ginny shot her a look of disbelief and said, "Come on, nobody else knew about this dress. And I sure as heck didn't buy it."

"Well, I didn't either," Hermione replied shaking her head.

Ginny continued to scrutinize Hermione.

With a sigh, Hermione rolled her eyes and said, "Fine, you really want to know? Ron came to me and asked me what to get you for Christmas. I guess Fred and George wanted to thank you for helping out this summer at their shop and asked Ron for his input. But, your brother, being the way that he is, had no idea and asked me. I suggested the dress."

"Oh...," Ginny said, her arms dropping slightly as Hermione's words set in. She had to admit that it was disappointing to learn that it hadn't been from the older girl – she had really wanted it to be from her. "Well, I'll have to thank them...they could've at least put a note on it," she added on shortly.

Hermione laughed lightly, but didn't say anything further.

"Well...I guess I should go get ready," Ginny announced as she averted her eyes from Hermione, knowing that her gaze would wander if she looked at her any longer. "You look really nice, by the way."

"Thank you, Ginny," Hermione said. "And yes, you better go, you're not supposed to be in here," she commented playfully as she wagged a finger at the redhead.

"Yeah, yeah," Ginny said as she rolled her eyes, "I'm going. See you at the party, I guess."

"See you."

With that, Ginny left the prefects' bathroom and headed back to her room. She was dumbstruck by what happened, but still managed to feel sad about the fact that her hopes had been ill-founded. Of course Hermione wouldn't buy her that dress...that would be ridiculous, but somehow she had still found a way to convince herself that it was possible.

After she had gotten ready for the party, she headed down to the common room where she and Neville had agreed to meet. He was waiting for her and was looking quite cute in his formal dress robes. He complimented her thoroughly before offering her his arm and they walked to Slughorn's quarters together.

When they entered, there were already a number of people there. This party seemed like it would be less stuffy than their first dinner, as at least this time around they could walk around and socialize instead of being bolted to their seats.

"Ah, Miss Weasley! Good to see you!" Professor Slughorn greeted as he came over and shook her hand. "And you must be Nathan," he said as he looked at Neville.

"Oh um, Neville, Sir. Neville Longbottom," Neville replied nervously, struggling to maintain eye contact.

"Longbottom! Oh, I do apologize dear boy. So many students, you know," Slughorn chuckled. "Well, help yourself to some hors d'ourves. Enjoy yourselves!"

The two thanked him as he went off to greet some other newcomers and they wandered off to see who else had arrived. Ginny hid behind Neville as she spotted what appeared to be the back of Cormac McLaggen's head.

"He's disgusting," she stated as she plucked some crackers off a tray, tossed one into her mouth, and held out the remainder to Neville.

"He is," Neville agreed, taking a couple of crackers. "And it looks like he's disgusting Hermione, too."

At the sound of her name, Ginny straightened in alarm and leaned over to see past Cormac. Sure enough, there was Hermione with Ron, both looking unpleased by Cormac's presence. He was leaning in towards Hermione and Ron had stepped in front of her as a bit of a human shield, and Hermione stood closely behind him.

Ginny tensed at the sight before her. That should've been her with Hermione. She should've been the one who would be protecting her from leering eyes, but no, now she was no better than Cormac. Her blood boiled furthermore as she saw Ron put his arm around Hermione and usher her away.

"Are you okay?"

Ginny quickly calmed down and turned away from the couple before her to see Neville giving her a worried look.

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks. Want to get some pumpkin juice?" She asked.

"Sure."

As they approached the juice bowl, they spotted Luna and Harry pouring themselves a couple of goblets full.

"Hi Harry! Hi Luna!" Neville greeted cheerfully.

Ginny smiled at the happy pair. Luna was in a lavender dress that looked light and flowed as she moved. Harry looked sharp as ever in his dress robes, and was trying to hide his giddiness.

"Having a good evening, you two?" Ginny asked with a smirk, feeling a little less upset now.

"Yes," Harry nodded, while Luna responded with a few more words that confirmed the same.

"Have you seen Hermione tonight?" Luna asked lightly. "She looks really beautiful."

Ginny glared at Luna, but the look went unnoticed as Luna and the two boys were now looking at Hermione who was on the other side of the room. While neither boy said much, just nodded their heads, Ginny gathered their lack of words were more-so due in effort to not offend Luna or herself.

"I see Ron got some new dress robes," Neville laughed good-heartedly.

Ginny snorted. "Yeah, I think it would've been a violation of human rights to make him wear those robes more than once," she joked, knowing everyone knew exactly which robes she was referring to. She laughed a bit more as she recalled his robes from the Yule Ball, but stopped herself when she remembered the unflattering dress she had been forced to wear.

Ginny committed herself to putting in a concerted effort to ignore Hermione for the rest of the evening. Considering how small the group in attendance was though, it was quite a difficult task to undertake. She still found herself stealing glances of Hermione and Ron throughout the night and always ended up regretting it. Ron was being a gentleman, Ginny couldn't fault him for that, but Hermione was receiving a great amount of attention this evening and Ginny had spotted the two of them clinging together at times, rushing to get away from the unwanted attention.

"Blimey! I should've brought my wand tonight – I'd have gotten plenty of practice cursing people what with all these blokes trying to get in a word or two with you, Hermione. I reckon it's that dress that's done it," Ginny overheard Ron joking at one point.

The youngest Weasley growled under her breath as Hermione swatted him playfully on the arm. This was like torture. Seeing the girl of her dreams spend the evening with her brother of all people, it was just cruel. Hermione and her had talked briefly earlier in the party and the brunette had politely complimented her new dress, but outside of that, they hadn't spoken a word to one another.

Ginny felt terrible for Neville, she knew she was being a lousy date. He was so excited to be invited; Ginny suspected that he felt disappointed about not being asked to join the Club as a member, so tonight was a big night for him. But Ginny had selfishly ruined it for him.

The fifth year forced a smile onto her face and did her best to engage herself in conversation with some of the others at the party. Things were going relatively well until Ginny had made another ill-advised glance towards Ron and Hermione. This time Blaise Zabini, of all people, was trying to chat up the gorgeous witch. Something inside Ginny snapped when she saw Hermione curl up against Ron in an effort to get away. Ginny spun on her heel and pulled Neville aside with her.

"Neville, I'm really, really sorry, but I'm not feeling very well. I'm going to go back to my room, get some sleep. Please feel free to stay here though, please enjoy yourself," she said just above a whisper.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't know you weren't feeling well, but now that you mention it, you haven't quite been yourself. I'll walk you back to your dorm," he offered sweetly.

"No, no," Ginny waved off the proposal. "I'll be fine. Take care, and thank you," she said as she stood on her tip-toes and kissed Neville on the cheek, pulling a deep blush out of him. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Um, okay, get some rest...see you tomorrow," he mumbled as he clumsily walked back to the group.

Ginny quickly found Professor Slughorn and informed him of her departure, apologizing all the while. He offered to brew a healing potion for her, but she politely refused and after his blessing, she left.

Instead of going to Gryffindor Tower as she had said she would, she hurried off to the astronomy tower. She needed some fresh air and she needed a quiet place to think. Well, a quiet place to stew is more like it. She stayed up there in solitude for the remainder of the evening, just getting lost in her thoughts. It wasn't until around one in the morning that she trudged back to her room and finally got some sleep.

* * *

The following morning, Ginny dragged herself out of bed at the crack of dawn despite the fact that it was a Saturday. She had decided the night before that she wanted to grab breakfast before everyone else and then go brood on her own for a while longer. Or, at the very least, just avoid the girl in the red dress who had turned her whole night upside down.

Dressed in her casual clothes, Ginny quietly left her room, careful not to wake her roommates, and trotted lightly down the stairs to the common room. She nearly tripped over her own feet when she spotted someone in the common room. She had expected the room to be empty, but luck would have it, there sat Hermione Granger; no longer in her stunning red dress, just her regular, every day clothes, but still looking just as beautiful.

"Ginny!" Hermione greeted, lifting her eyes from the book she was reading. "You're up early," she commented as she stood, Crookshanks leaping off the chair with her and following beside his master as she approached Ginny.

"Yeah," Ginny said flatly, unsure of what to make of this situation. "Just wanted to get an early start."

"I understand. Me too, I was just reading up on some Transfiguration," she said pleasantly as she gestured to the book she had left on the chair.

"Cool. Well, I'm gonna go grab some breakfast. I'll see you later," Ginny said briskly as she began to walk away, ignoring the disappointed look on Hermione's face.

"Oh, maybe I'll join you," she called after Ginny as she rushed to gather her things.

Ginny audibly sighed and slowed to a stop, turning to Hermione and crossing her arms impatiently. A few moments later, Hermione had caught up to her and they walked through the portrait hole together.

"So, are you feeling better today?" Hermione asked breathlessly once she had finally stabilized her stack of books. "I heard that you left because you weren't feeling well."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ginny replied shortly, not bothering to look Hermione's way.

"Oh, good," Hermione said warmly. "It's too bad you left. I had to suffer through the boredom of that party all alone," she joked.

"Why would it matter if I left? It's not like we talked when I was there. And I'd say you were anything but alone last night," Ginny replied sharply, shocking herself with the venom in her words.

"Ginny!" Hermione gasped. "How dare you say those things! Where is all of this coming from?"

"I saw you with my brother last night," Ginny retorted, refusing to back down. "If you like him, that's fine, I just don't want it shoved in my face."

Hermione huffed indignantly and scolded Ginny, "I told you a thousand times, Ginny, I - Don't – Like – Ron."

Ginny kept her mouth shut, not wanting to escalate the situation any further.

"And if I did?" Hermione said. "What would it matter anyhow?"

Ginny nearly cracked at the taunt. It took every ounce of strength to bite back her true response and instead say, "He's my brother."

"Well I don't see you hating Katie Bell," Hermione retorted. "And besides, who was I supposed to go with? You already asked Neville."

"Katie's different," Ginny muttered, choosing to ignore Hermione's question.

"How?" The brunette shot as she glowered.

Again, Ginny bite back what she really wanted to say and just clamped her mouth shut, refusing to respond.

"Well?" Hermione pressed, her voice growing shrill. Another few beats passed and Hermione let out another indignant huff and said, "I can't believe how immature you're being. Your brother has a girlfriend, I don't like him at all that way, and we were at the party as friends. Grow up, Ginny." And with that the she stormed off down a hallway that definitely didn't lead to the Great Hall, but Ginny was thankful for her departure.

Ginny, too, didn't head for the Great Hall, the last thing she wanted to do right now was eat. Guilt, anger, resentment, and a whirlwind of other negative emotions were churning in her stomach and just the thought of food made Ginny want to keel over.

She wandered down to the lake and sat, slouching against one of the trees. It was freezing out and she wasn't at all dressed for the weather, but she didn't care. She shut her eyes in frustration. So, now Hermione thought she was an immature git. Well, she was, wasn't she? And what did Hermione mean about her going with Neville? Couldn't she have asked Seamus or someone instead? Someone **other **than Ron? Fine, whatever, maybe they wouldn't be friends now and Ginny could just forget about her. Not bloody likely...but, she guessed that at this point it was worth a shot.

* * *

Several days later, the girls still hadn't talked to one another. Their only interaction was the odd cold stare. Ginny sat in the Great Hall eating dinner next to Demelza and Colin. In fact, she had found that she spent most of her time with Demelza now. She felt guilty for some reason, but she spent time with her nevertheless. Her friends had been talking about their latest Defense Against the Dark Arts assignment when the Golden Trio walked by, apparently finished with their dinners.

Hermione led the trio, looking decidedly forward and avoiding eye contact with Ginny whose petulant stare followed her. Trailing behind Hermione were Harry and Ron. Ginny looked to them and her glare was replaced with a look of confusion as she saw Harry pushing Ron towards the table Ginny and the others were seated at. Though putting up a respectable fight, Ron finally submitted with one last swing at Harry that missed by a mile. He shook out his shoulders with a pout on his face and shuffled over to Ginny.

"Uh, hey Gin, how's it going?" He asked awkwardly, avoiding Ginny's gaze and looking back at Harry who was gesturing to him, 'Go'.

"What's going on with you two?" Ginny asked as she arched an eyebrow.

Ron sighed and said, "Do you have a moment? I wanted to speak to you, um, privately."

Ginny exchanged confused looks with Demelza and Colin before slowly rising from her seat. "Sure...let's go out into the hall."

"Great," Ron mumbled as he looked back at Harry again who was nearly out the doors, but still gesturing at Ron just the same.

The two siblings walked out into the hall and Ron found an abandoned part of the corridor and sat down on an empty ledge, gesturing for Ginny to do the same. She tentatively sat down next to him, but still held him under her suspicious gaze.

"Well, what's all this about?" She asked curtly after they had sat in silence for a few moments too many.

"Harry's making me do it," Ron pouted as he avoided his sister's harsh gaze.

"Well, hurry it up," Ginny snapped.

"Geez, you're no better than her," Ron muttered.

"Who?" Ginny questioned with an impatient sigh.

"Hermione," he answered. "We talked to her first, but she nearly took my head off."

Ginny was about to explode at her brother again when he quickly came out with the purpose for their little meeting. "I just wanted to see what you two were fighting about. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"You've done quite enough, Ron," Ginny seethed. She knew it was unfair, he was just trying to help, but there was so much frustration pent up inside of her.

"Well, what's goin' on with you two?" Ron asked again, this time more forcefully. "You two can't even be in the same room together! I thought you two were best mates."

Ginny laughed coldly, seeming to scare her brother a bit. "Yes, best mates. That's fantastic."

"Well, you are, aren't you? Did something happen at the party? I would guess that you two were fighting over a guy, but, that's clearly not the case," Ron said as he gave a weak laugh.

"No, we're definitely not fighting over a guy," Ginny replied flatly. "She can have all the guys she wants, that's fine by me."

Ron gave her a curious look. "The guys were a little nuts over her, weren't they?"

"I'll say."

"You're not jealous of the attention she's getting are you?" Ron asked, still befuddled.

Ginny gave another cold laugh. "I guess you could say that."

"Well, you looked good too, you know. I think Melinda Bobbin had her eye on you," he offered encouragingly.

"Thanks," Ginny replied with a wry smile. "But frankly, I don't give a shit about Melinda Bobbin."

Ron looked afraid to talk, so he sat still, waiting for Ginny to speak up again.

She let out an exasperated sigh. "You don't bloody well get it, do you?" she yelled suddenly, standing up and rounding on her brother.

Taken aback, Ron shook his head.

"You wouldn't, would you?" Ginny added scathingly. "You got to hold her all night, you have nothing to be jealous of."

"W-what?" He finally said, thoroughly confused.

Ginny was about to speak when she was hit by a wave of emotion and had to fight back tears. He was her brother and he had seen her in worse situations, but she had never grown comfortable of crying in front of him. She took a moment to steady herself.

"I like girls, Ron," she said patiently. He nodded, still frightened. "I spend a lot of time with Hermione. She's my 'best mate'," she continued in a mocking voice. "You keep pushing Demelza, and now Melinda, on me, but I keep turning them away. Ever wonder why? Hm?"

She waited for Ron to reply, and though his stare was looking less and less unsure by the second, he still didn't say anything.

"I like Hermione!" She yelled, her voice echoing down the corridor, startling herself and Ron. She sat heavily on the ledge once more and hung her head in her hands, squeezing her eyes shut tightly and focusing on not crying.

A moment later she felt her brother place a tentative hand on her back and he spoke softly, "I'm sorry I was so daft, Gin. I-I didn't realize."

She just shook her head, not trusting herself to speak.

"I'm really sorry about the party, that must've been terrible for you. Does-does she know?" He asked.

Ginny shook her head once more and dug her fingers into her hair as she began to silently cry. Ron tensed, but began to rub her back in an effort to comfort her.

"Well, I don't know," he said, breaking the silence, "maybe there's something there. The dress you got for the party, it wasn't Fred and George."

Ginny sniffled and looked up at Ron questioningly.

"Hermione told me that if you thanked me for a dress, that I should play along. I asked her about it, but she wouldn't elaborate. But, she bought it for you."

Alarm rushed through Ginny's body. So she had been right initially, it was Hermione.

"So...what do you think it means?" Ginny asked, her voice coarse.

"Well, it can't be a bad thing," Ron shrugged. "That dress didn't look cheap."

"It wasn't," Ginny confirmed. "It cost a fortune, believe me."

"And," Ron added with a new enthusiasm in his voice, "she wasn't interested in any of the guys at the party. She was pretty clear about that. Yet, she was wearing that dress...I reckon she was trying to impress **someone**."

"You think so?" Ginny asked, though she was frightened of the hope that was building inside of her. "I did say that I thought the dress would look good on her when we were in the shop originally."

"See!" He said excitedly.

Ginny smiled, but quickly stopped herself. "But, what's with all the mystery. And, she knows I'm gay, why doesn't she just say something to me."

Ron pondered his sister's question for a moment. "Well, you know Hermione, she's very...protective, of her emotions. I don't think I've really seen her show any interest in anyone since Krum, and even then...," he trailed off, unsure if he was about to set off Ginny's temper again.

The two siblings talked for a great deal longer, trying to analyze Ginny's situation with Hermione, but ultimately they came to the conclusion that the situation was not black and white and it would take further effort from Ginny to find out just where Hermione stood. But newly inspired, and feeling so much better about finally being able to tell someone about Hermione, Ginny felt up to the challenge.

**AN**: Happy Halloween! As promised, a slightly sooner update. Still frustrating, I know, I know, but hopefully you are still enjoying the story. The next chapter is slightly less frustrating lol


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The next day, Ginny headed to Hogsmeade in search of a peace offering to ease the negative tension between herself and Hermione. She inwardly cursed the fact that Hermione had found and purchased that original of 'Hogwarts', as it would've been the perfect gift. But, Ginny was determined to find a suitable alternative. She went to a couple of stores before she found something with any potential. She studied it for a moment before devising a plan on how to make it better and a little bit special. Fishing out a good amount of the money that she had earned over the summer, she paid the shopkeeper and jogged back to Hogwarts, brimming with eagerness.

Wanting to avoid running into Hermione, Ginny went to the quidditch locker room to work on her project. She knew that she would certainly not run into the sixth year there.

After a few botched attempts, Ginny was finally satisfied with her freshly charmed gift. She pulled out a piece of a parchment and began writing a short note for Hermione. Signing it, she checked her watch to see what time it was. Dinner; most students would be in the dining hall now, so Ginny determined it would be safe to go back to Gryffindor Tower.

As she had guessed, the tower was empty and Ginny had no problem slipping into Hermione's room unnoticed. She dropped off her gift and rushed to the dining hall to see if she could catch a late dinner.

She sat down next to Colin and greeted him happily. He seemed taken aback by her sudden change in mood, having been subjected to her gloomy demeanour the past few days. He questioned her, but she waved off his comments and probed him about his day instead. She wasn't exactly paying attention to the account of his day's events though, being too distracted with watching Hermione out of the corner of her eye.

The brunette was with Ron and Harry and still seemed to be in a not-so-pleasant mood. A short while later, the three rose from their seats and began to file out of the dining hall. Ron caught Ginny's eye on the way out and she gave him a quick nod.

"Hey, you done? Let's go back to the common room," Ginny interrupted Colin with a bright smile on her face. He seemed caught off guard, but quickly shovelled a few more mouthfuls of food into his mouth and they headed to the common room.

Ginny made sure to leave a good amount of space between themselves and the trio ahead of them. By the time they entered the common room Ginny just caught a glimpse of Hermione ascending the winding staircase to the girls' dorms.

Ginny brought Colin over to Ron and Harry who were sitting by the fire and they sat down. Ginny sat for a whole thirty seconds before standing up again.

"Oh, I forgot my books in the dining hall, I'll be right back," she explained as Ron nodded towards her, and she left the room and slowly began walking towards the dining hall, waiting for what she hoped would come.

Not even a minute later, Ginny heard the portrait swing open and hurried footsteps began to echo down the empty corridor.

"Ginny!"

The redhead smiled as she heard the voice beckoning her and she turned around, doing her best to look as though she wasn't anticipating the brunette's arrival.

"Ginny," Hermione said again with an excited laugh as she came running towards her, book bag slung on her shoulder. She threw her arms around Ginny in a hug and laughed warmly in her ear.

"This is so wonderful!" Hermione continued as she pulled out of the embrace. "Thank you so much. You didn't have to do this for me though."

"My pleasure," Ginny said simply as she smiled at the brunette.

"These are really advanced charms, Ginny. I'm impressed," Hermione said in awe as she opened her book bag which was revealed to be brimming with books. "I'm also not sure why I never thought to do this myself," she added on coyly.

In Hogsmeade, Ginny had picked up a high quality book bag, but that wasn't the surprise. The special part was that Ginny had put several charms on the bag to make Hermione's life a bit easier. The redhead had made it so that as many books could be put into it as the owner wanted, and it would never get full, it would simply reduce the size of the books so they fit easily inside. Another charm was placed to keep the bag light as a feather no matter what its contents. Yet another charm was placed so that despite the size of the bag, there were now organizational compartments for each of Hermione's subjects so that she wouldn't have to rifle through her bag any longer, the books for each subject would be readily available.

Along with leaving the bag on Hermione's bed, Ginny included a note that explained how the bag worked and apologized for her horrid behaviour. Ginny and Ron had decided to not out Hermione on the fact that she purchased the dress for Ginny, so the youngest Weasley settled to thank Hermione once more for showing her the blue dress in Hogsmeade and so kindly suggesting it to her brothers, because she thought it was beautiful and a wonderful present. She said that she knew this bag wouldn't make up for Hermione's efforts, but it would be a start. And apparently, the bag and the note had done their job and the girls' fight was now over.

"Well, I figured I couldn't convince you to bring any less books around with you all the time, so the least I could do was make it easier to lug them all around," Ginny replied simply.

"Thank you, Ginny," Hermione said again as she hugged the younger girl once more. "It's great."

"I'm glad you like it," Ginny smiled.

"So, the boys said you forgot something in the dining hall, I'll come with you to go get it," Hermione offered.

"Oh, yeah, actually, I just realized that I didn't bring those books with me at all, they're still up in my room," Ginny stumbled over her lie, having not thought far enough ahead to actually have a book sitting in the dining hall waiting for her.

"Oh, okay then," Hermione seemed unfazed by the mix-up and they walked back to the common room together.

Once inside, they settled themselves around the fire with the boys and they stayed up for a while talking about the fast approaching holidays. Ginny did her best to ignore the smirk Ron was giving her, but couldn't do too much to hide her own. For once, things seemed to be working out.

* * *

The next week was their final week at Hogwarts before winter holidays would begin. As such, exams were taking place and heavily occupying students' schedules. Ginny hadn't really seen much of anyone recently as she had been so focused on studying. She had, however, arranged to study with Hermione nearly every day in the library. They didn't talk much, as Ginny was actually concentrating on her work, and Hermione, of course, was as well. The lack of dialogue didn't concern Ginny though; it felt great to just be with the brunette.

That morning during breakfast, Ginny had asked Hermione for help with her Astronomy that evening, to which Hermione had agreed. Prior to their meeting, Ginny was with Colin in the greenhouses helping him with Herbology. Checking her watch, Ginny informed Colin that they'd have to call it quits for tonight as she had to meet Hermione.

They walked into the common room and Ginny saw the usual trio, along with Katie, huddled around the fireplace, each with their nose buried in a book.

The youngest Weasley approached the group and asked Hermione if she was ready to go.

Hermione, who was sitting on the floor with a book in her lap, other books and scrolls surrounding her, looked up and smiled at Ginny.

"Yes, just let me gather up my things," Hermione said as she put her things in the book bag Ginny had recently given her, prompting a discrete smile to form on Ginny's face.

"Where are you two off to?" Ron asked, as he waggled his eyebrows at Ginny, careful to not be seen by Hermione.

"We're going to the astronomy tower, I'm going to help Ginny with her star charts," Hermione replied, completely unaware of Ron's innuendo. "I'll be right back – have to grab my jacket and scarf," Hermione stated as she rushed upstairs. Having just come from the greenhouses, Ginny already had her winter wear.

Hermione reappeared a few moments later and Ginny greeted her with a smile.

"Have fun," Harry said, as he gave Ginny a teasing grin.

Ginny glared at her brother -he told Harry- the turd.

Once Hermione was ready, the two girls went to leave the common room. The portrait door swung open and Ginny politely let Hermione go first.

Ginny shot a scathing look back at Ron and Harry as she heard them snickering. She quickly looked back to see if Hermione had noticed their laughing, and she hadn't. Before the portrait closed, Ginny turned back once more and pointed a finger menacingly at the boys.

With a few quick steps, Ginny caught up to Hermione and hastily replaced her scowl with a sweet smile when the brunette turned to look at her.

Up in the astronomy tower, the girls had settled themselves across from one another. Hermione was quizzing Ginny on some theory and facts regarding Jupiter's moons. Much to Hermione's pleasure, Ginny was performing well so far and had only made one error.

Eventually the girls began working on Ginny's star chart. They approached it a couple of different ways, one involved Hermione pointing the telescope at a certain constellation and asking Ginny to look and identify it. Another was where they were working through constellations on paper. Once Hermione was satisfied with how Ginny had answered the questions and completed the exercises, the girls settled themselves along the railing and just looked out at the dark, winter sky. Ginny absently recalled the last time they had done this back in the summer.

"The stars look so beautiful tonight," Hermione commented as she looked out into the open sky. "The stars seem so much clearer out here at Hogwarts, even compared to at the Burrow."

"Yeah, they're great," Ginny agreed as she looked around.

"And we're so high up, it feels like you can practically reach out and touch them," Hermione said earnestly, though she quickly looked down in embarrassment at what she likely deemed was a silly statement.

"No, I understand," Ginny said sincerely. "I feel the same way." At that, Hermione gave Ginny a grateful smile and continued to gaze upward.

Ginny watched Hermione out of the corner of her eye and was overwhelmed with a need to be close to her. She loved the way the night light reflected in the brunette's eyes and the way she looked on in wonder at the sky above.

Suddenly, an idea struck Ginny – a stupid, ridiculous idea.

She took a small step back from the railing, her movement drawing Hermione's attention. "I know how we can get an even closer look." She gave the puzzled brunette a charming smile as she pulled out her wand and said strongly, "Accio broom!"

Hermione's eyes widened in realization of Ginny's intentions. "You can't honestly be thinking what I think you're thinking." Ginny just smiled innocently.

Moments later her broom arrived in the astronomy tower in front of the two girls, and right into Ginny's waiting hand. The younger witch smiled slyly as she held out the broom to Hermione.

"No," Hermione said flatly.

Ginny took a step closer, still holding out the broom.

"No!" Hermione said more intensely, this time folding her arms across her chest in protest.

"Please, Hermione. Just this once," Ginny pleaded sweetly.

"I said 'no'. And you shouldn't go either," Hermione stated as she turned her gaze away haughtily.

"Hermione," Ginny pleaded once more, drawing out the girl's name and bordered on whiney. "How long has it been since you've been on a broom anyway?"

Hermione refused to answer, huffing instead.

"Just this once. It can be my Christmas present," Ginny said with a wicked smile, the smile only growing as Hermione was about to protest, something along the lines of "I already got you a-" but quickly cut herself off with a blush.

"No," Hermione said, recovering from her minor slip-up. "And who said I was going to get you anything?" She added sharply.

Ginny sighed and let her shoulders slump. She was running out of ideas here.

"It'll be a good learning experience," she offered lamely.

"I'm leaving now," Hermione announced as she picked up her book bag. "We should have been back in the common room an hour ago. It's past curfew."

Hermione turned to leave, but Ginny shot forward and grasped the older witch's arm, prompting her to turn around. When she did, the two girls faces were mere inches apart. Ginny could feel Hermione's breath on her skin and it gave her goosebumps.

"Please, Hermione," she whispered, her eyes connecting with the brunette's.

Hermione visibly gulped and pulled back, her stare defiant. The next words that came out of her mouth nearly made Ginny topple over.

"You know we'll be breaking a serious amount of rules, right?"

Ginny tried her best not to grin, but failed miserably. She nodded her acknowledgment anyway.

"And you realize I do not approve of this, right?"

Ginny nodded again.

"Fine," Hermione said in a tone coupled with a glare as she set her bag down.

Ginny offered the broom to Hermione again. The brunette steadied herself before grabbing the broom and holding it awkwardly in front of her.

"Okay...," she said nervously. "What do I do?"

Ginny gave Hermione a kind smile and moved forward to help the girl in her moment of rare unknowing.

After Hermione was settled, albeit still looking very uncomfortable and worried, Ginny got on the broom behind her.

Ginny subconsciously held her breath as she positioned herself behind the elder witch. Ginny's heart nearly stopped when she felt Hermione tense up at the contact they made.

"Sorry," Ginny whispered as she scooted back.

"No," Hermione said quickly. "You just surprised me, that's all. Do whatever you need to do so that we both survive this unbelievably stupid stunt."

The redhead chuckled and moved forward once again so that the front of her body was flush with Hermione's back. She couldn't help but close her eyes in a state of subdued bliss at breathing in Hermione's shampoo and feeling the girl so close to her.

"_You are one clever witch_," Ginny thought proudly to herself as she adjusted her grip on the broom, her arms around Hermione's narrow waist.

"Okay, now what?" Hermione questioned, the worry still evident in her voice.

"Now, I'll fly us outside." Ginny could practically feel the girl bristle at the thought. "Slowly," she added.

"Mm...Okay," Hermione agreed hesitantly.

Ginny gently coaxed them off the ground and had to stifle a laugh when Hermione let out a squeal. Hermione was white-knuckling the broom even more so now than before, if that was possible at all.

"Don't you dare let me fall, Ginny Weasley," Hermione warned fiercely. "If you do, I will never forgive you."

Ginny furiously fought the overwhelming urge to lean forward and kiss Hermione's cheek which was tempting her so thoroughly.

"Don't worry, Hermione," she spoke gently, yet confidently. "I've got you. You're safe."

Hermione's tense shoulders seemed to relax a touch and she settled a bit into Ginny's embrace.

"Are you alright?" Ginny asked.

She needed to check before flying outside. They were barely two feet off the ground and Hermione was already a ball of nerves. If Hermione gave the word, Ginny would let her down. She had, after all, gotten closer to Hermione in these past few minutes than she had since summer. And she was well aware of how big a gesture this was for Hermione, who had always had a strong dislike of flying.

The anxious brunette gave her partner a curt nod.

"You're sure? We don't have to..."

"No," Hermione cut her off. "Let's go. While I still have the nerve."

"Okay," Ginny smiled.

She flew them a couple of feet higher and beamed with endearment as Hermione whimpered and burrowed herself closer against Ginny.

"It's okay," Ginny assured Hermione. "I've done this millions of times. It's okay."

Hermione gave her another nod.

Again, resisting the urge to kiss Hermione, her shoulder this time, Ginny slowly flew them over the railing and out into the open, night air.

"Oh my gosh," the older girl breathed in a shaky voice as she made the mistake of looking down.

"Don't look down," Ginny started.

"It's a little late for that," Hermione exclaimed in a hushed voice; scared out of her wits, but still cautious and fearful of any lurking authority figures who could be alerted of their presence by a voice louder than a whisper.

"Just look up," Ginny instructed patiently.

Hermione hesitated before cautiously adjusting her gaze to look up at the stars.

"They look the same out here as they did inside, Ginny," Hermione stated impatiently.

"Hermione," Ginny complained. "'Kay, you take control of the broom."

"No!" Hermione cried.

"Go on, try," Ginny continued.

Hermione huffed and repeated her previous answer. Ginny was sure that if Hermione didn't have a death grip on the broom, she would have crossed her arms in indignation.

Ginny tried to coax Hermione into taking the lead again and again and received stronger negative responses each time. By now, Hermione had her head turned and was giving Ginny a glare of unrivaled proportions.

"Wow, not bad. Steady work," Ginny commented suddenly with a nod of approval.

"What?" Hermione snapped.

A smile crept up on Ginny's face as she slowly, carefully, brought up both hands and flashed her fingers in Hermione's field of vision.

Hermione's face, already pale by day, even more in the moonlight, lost any and all remaining colour. Her jaw dropped just a little before she whipped back around to face forward and the broom dipped several feet at her actions.

"Whoa!" Ginny yelled as her hands shot out and gripped Hermione, barely holding on in time. Her stomach lurched as the broom shot up again in Hermione's panic.

The broom stabilized briefly and Ginny reached forward and grabbed the broom handle, fully leveling them out and ceasing any further erratic movements.

"Ginny!" Hermione screamed as she reached back with one hand and swatted blindly at the redhead. "You idiot!" she continued, her voice cracking with emotion. "You could've been killed!"

"Hermione...," Ginny said softly as tension filled her chest. Her face fell and she searched desperately for the right words as she felt Hermione's body hitch in quiet sobs.

"Oh – Hermione – I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. It was a really stupid thing to do. I'm so sorry I scared you. I should've never done that..." she trailed off, guilt and remorse hitting her hard.

"Get us back down," Hermione commanded through sniffles.

Ginny wordlessly did as she was told. Once inside the astronomy tower, she gently lowered the broom to the ground. Hermione hurriedly stepped off before they had even fully landed.

Upon landing, the sobs the brunette had managed to stifle during their descent seemed to bubble up once again. She swiped angrily at her tears and roughly picked up her book bag.

Ginny set her broom down and walked swiftly, yet cautiously over to the crying witch.

"Hermione, please. I'm sorry. I'm such an idiot. I wasn't thinking-"

"No, you weren't!" Hermione exploded as she made fierce eye contact with Ginny that was enough to make the redhead whither.

Hermione spun on her heel and began to storm out of the tower. Ginny took a couple of large strides to catch up with her and was taken aback when Hermione rounded on her, her index finger pointed in Ginny's face as she began to take steady steps towards the redhead. Ginny gulped and stepped back with every step of Hermione's, doing her best to not trip over her own feet. Though Hermione was shorter than Ginny, the brunette's imposing demeanour made Ginny feel as small as a house elf right now.

"Do you have any idea how bad that silly stunt of yours could have gone?" Hermione demanded. There were still tears in her eyes, but the emotion in her voice was clearly anger. "You could've died! What would I tell your family? How could I ever face them? Or anyone? Granted that I survived, I probably would've died out there too.

"Ginny, if you had di-" Hermione's eyes welled with tears and she stopped herself momentarily. She swallowed and continued on in an even voice. "That was a selfish, thoughtless and outrageously reckless thing to do Ginny Weasley."

By now, Ginny felt like the size of a gnome. She couldn't maintain eye contact for longer than a second or two; she just couldn't bear to see Hermione looking at her that way.

Finally, she said, "I know. That was really, really stupid of me. I didn't realize at the time...I wasn't thinking about the consequences, obviously...I just wanted to see you fly." Hermione was tapping her foot impatiently and had folded her arms across her chest. "I care about you so much, Hermione," the younger witch continued. "I never meant to upset you. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me," she pleaded as she looked into Hermione's eyes. The storms in the brunette's dark brown eyes seemed to lift.

"I'm sorry," Ginny repeated as she tentatively stepped forward and pulled Hermione into a delicate hug.

The brunette was tense in Ginny's arms and she thought Hermione would back away, but was surprised when she felt the elder witch relax and reciprocate the hug.

Ginny pulled Hermione closer and buried her face in the brunette's curly hair. Hermione's grip tightened around Ginny as well and soon sniffles were coming from the smaller witch once more.

Ginny subconsciously began rubbing Hermione's back. She guided them to one of the steps and sat them down. Hermione had not removed her face from the crook of Ginny's neck and if Ginny's scarf had not been on, she was sure she would have been able to feel tears on her skin.

The redhead rubbed Hermione's arms and pulled the girl close once more.

After a minute or so, Hermione's sniffles had more or less stopped and she pulled out of the embrace, straightening her posture and doing her best to look composed.

"Are you okay?" Ginny asked tentatively. Hermione turned her head to look at Ginny, her eyes red from crying.

"Better," she said with a final sniffle. "You really scared me, Ginny."

"I know," Ginny said sadly, her face solemn. "What can I do to make it up to you?"

Hermione sighed and rest her head on Ginny's shoulder, causing the fifth year's eyes to widen slightly. She surprised herself by wrapping her arm around Hermione's waist without so much as a thought.

"I don't know," Hermione exhaled tiredly. "Get an 'O' in astronomy," she chuckled lightly.

"Consider it done," Ginny said with a laugh of her own.

Hermione lifted her head off her friend's shoulder and rose from her seat on the stair.

"We should get going. It's way past curfew now, plus we both have class first thing tomorrow," she said softly.

Ginny agreed and stood to begin picking up her things.

As the two girls walked quietly back to Gryffindor tower, Ginny whispered, "I'm still really sorry about this evening."

Hermione sighed lightly, "It's over now, don't worry about it. Just don't do anything like that ever again."

"I won't," Ginny assured her. "Besides, I'll probably never get you on a broomstick again after that. Higglefin," Ginny said as they stood outside the portrait, the Fat Lady granting them access upon hearing the password. "Not that I can blame you," the redhead continued as they stepped into the common room.

"I can't disagree with you," Hermione replied. "I guess I wasn't meant to be a flyer," she said with a deprecating laugh.

Ginny gave Hermione a smirk. "I don't know, you didn't do half bad. You probably would've been fine if I didn't spring that on you."

"Ginny, please," Hermione held up a hand, urging Ginny to stop. "I'd rather not relive it, thank you. Let's just get some sleep."

They walked up the stairs to the dormitories and stopped when they reached the fifth years' dorms.

"Well, good night, then," Ginny said, looking for a sign from Hermione that a hug would be appropriate.

"Good night, Gin. See you tomorrow," Hermione turned and continued her walk upstairs, leaving Ginny with a clear "no" resounding in her head.

Ginny rolled her eyes up to the ceiling and let out a frustrated sigh. She took a deep breath to steady herself and turned to enter the dorm. Despite the obvious setback of tonight, Ginny felt determined, in an odd way, that tonight wasn't a total disaster. Perhaps they were making progress, in their own little way.

**AN**: Big thank you to everyone for your feedback and support! Please know that your reviews/alerts/favs etc. are all greatly appreciated. So, a bit of progress for our dynamic duo. I hope you enjoyed the update. More next week :)


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**_Hermione POV_**

_Hermione,_

_Just got back from Fred and George's. Merlin, was it crazy. If I thought it was busy during summer, it is nothing compared to what it's like right now. I guess people are crazy about pranking people at Christmas. _

_Are you still enjoying the sun there in Greece? I certainly hope so; at least one of us should be having a good time! (You know I'm just teasing). _

_Say 'hi' to your parents and Crookshanks for me (poor little guy must be roasting)._

_Hope to hear from you soon._

_Ginny_

Hermione smiled as she finished reading the letter from Ginny, reluctant to roll it up again, and instead chose to re-read it.

"A letter from Ginny?" Her mother asked, a smile in her voice, though not looking up from her newspaper.

"Yes," Hermione replied, very matter-of-fact, but couldn't stop herself from tacking on an embarrassed laugh.

"People are going to start to wonder, what with all these owls flying in and out from our hotel room," her father joked as he sipped his coffee.

He was right; people would start to wonder soon about the owls. The fact that Pig was hooting noisily as he sat perched on the patio railing didn't help. Hermione had told him to wait until she had written a response to take back with him to the Burrow.

Ginny and Hermione had written to each other during holidays since Hermione's third year, but they had never written as much as they were now. Normally, the prefect would be concerned about arousing suspicions in the muggles, but she was simply just enjoying these letters too much. She was sure that if she wasn't so far away from England, their letters would've been even more frequent.

Hermione had written back and forth to Ron and Harry once. She had written back again, but had yet to hear back from them. She guessed that they were both with their significant others. Harry was free of the Dursleys for winter holidays and had mentioned that he would be meeting Luna's father.

Hermione got up from her chair at the patio table and went into the room she was sharing with her parents. She fished around in her enchanted book bag for a blank piece of parchment and a quill. Heading back outside to sit with her parents again, she ignored the small smiles on their faces, and began writing her response.

_Dear Ginny,_

_Just got your owl. I hope Fred and George aren't working you too hard. I remember how busy their shop was in the summer when I went with Ron and Harry; I can only imagine what it's like now. _

_I'm just outside on the patio with my parents right now. It is incredibly hot here in Athens; Crookshanks is under my bed right now, trying to keep cool (he says 'hi' back, by the way)._

_I've been reading more of my 'Quintessence' book. I've been dying to work on my Aguamenti charm, but I have to hold off until we get back to Hogwarts. I can't wait until I can practice my magic year round and get my apparition licence. _

_Say 'hello' to your family for me. _

_By the time Pig reaches you with this letter, you won't have time to respond before I arrive, so a reply won't be necessary. See you soon. _

_Hermione_

Rolling up the parchment and walking over to Pig, she tied the small scroll to his leg and said, "Take this back to Ginny," and off he went on his daunting journey – poor thing.

"How is Ginny?" her mother asked as she folded up her newspaper and set it down on the table.

"She's fine," Hermione blushed under her mother's mild questioning. "She's still working at her brothers' shop. She says 'hello', by the way."

Her mother smiled. "This summer you should invite Ginny over, we've never really spoken with her, just briefly at King's Crossing. Your father and I would love to meet her."

Hermione balked at the thought of Ginny coming to their home or more so her parents spending time with Ginny, certain they would embarrass her. She had actually contemplated inviting Ginny over before, but when her mother suggested it, it just seemed a bit more than a hospitable gesture, but it was an exciting idea regardless.

"Perhaps I'll invite her," Hermione responded with a hint of a smirk.

"Well, it'd save a few owls some painful journeys," her dad piped up as he grinned at his daughter who suddenly seemed very focused on eating her bowl of fruit.

Hermione had a sneaking suspicion that her parents may have clued in to this situation with Ginny - or, perhaps not. Maybe they were just being encouraging since Hermione had sort of lacked close friends most of her life, minus Harry and Ron the past few years. They were probably just pleased that she'd manage to forge a lasting friendship. Either way, Hermione decided it would be best to not linger too much on the thought.

* * *

A few days later, Hermione had arrived in Diagon Alley and walked to Weasleys' Wizards Wheezes. As she entered the shop, the chaos and energy that ran through the twins' joke shop left her in awe. This was her second time here, but it was still amazing to her. It was hard to hear her own thoughts over the loud voices of customers and random sound effects of Fred and George's various devices.

She looked around the shop searching for her favourite redhead. Though not the right redhead, she managed to spot Fred and George at the top of the stairs, talking speedily back and forth to an overwhelmed customer holding a charmed gizmo that Hermione didn't recognize. As they were preoccupied at the moment, she decided to greet them later and instead continued her slow survey of the store, still searching for Ginny. She spotted Ron along her journey, who was stocking some shelves around the corner. As he looked slightly terrified at being so high up on the ladder, she decided to not disturb him either.

Rounding a display case, Hermione's gaze fell upon the cash register and the girl who stood behind it. Hermione smiled as she was greeted with the sight of Ginny, in a dress shirt and apron, ringing through a customer's purchase. The brunette's heart swelled at the sight of the redhead who she'd missed dearly, despite them only being separated for a couple of weeks.

Hermione busied herself with examining some of the gadgets and potions that were on sale in the shop and she was still impressed by the level of magic required to create many of them. The line of customers that Ginny was helping seemed to be never-ending and Hermione sighed as she continued to look over the same products a second time.

"Maybe a bit of love potion for you?"

"We offer a range of them – depends on the effect you want or the strength you need."

Hermione whirled around, startled by the voices talking quickly in either of her ears. She didn't need to turn around though to recognize them as belonging to Fred and George.

"Not sure that you **really** need one, but we'd be happy to sell it to you anyway," they said in unison.

Putting on her most unimpressed look, Hermione looked at the twins. "I wasn't even looking at your love potions. Only silly girls with useless infatuations would be interested in them," she replied loftily. "Though I'm sure your potions work very well," she added in consolation. "How are you two? Business is booming, I see."

"Indeed," they replied with hearty smiles.

"Good thing we have our little siblings to do all our hard work for us," Fred replied as he nodded towards the cash register.

Hermione turned to see Ron taking over for Ginny at the cash register.

"We'll leave you two alone," George said in an exaggerated whisper. "Good to see you."

"Yeah, good to see you," Fred added as the twins walked off to go greet some other customers.

"Hey, you made it!"

Hermione spun around to end up face to face with a smiling Ginny.

"Yeah, I was just talking with your brothers," Hermione replied, a little nervous all of sudden.

"I see that," Ginny muttered as she looked in her brothers' direction. "I hope they didn't give you a hard time."

"I think it's you that they're giving a hard time, Ginny," Hermione laughed.

"Well, I'm certainly earning my minimum wage, that's for sure," the youngest Weasley replied with a sardonic grin. "Shall we go? I'm sick of this place."

"Sure thing," Hermione said.

Before departing for the Burrow, they stopped in for a while at the Leaky Cauldron, at Hermione's request. She insisted on buying Ginny a butterbeer, saying the younger witch had earned it, working during her winter holidays and all, while Hermione just sat around in the sunshine in a foreign country.

"I'm sure you studied plenty though, am I right?" Ginny had asked. "I doubt you just sat around working on your tan," she had laughed.

Hermione yielded after some ribbing, and the girls had a good time just catching up. The relaxed evening reminded Hermione a bit of when they had been in Hogsmeade a while back, until they were so rudely interrupted by Ron and the others.

After they had drained their mugs of their butterbeer, the girls flooed to the Burrow and were greeted warmly by Mrs. Weasley.

"Hermione! Oh it's so good to see you again! How was Greece, dear? Ginny didn't want to share too many details," Mrs. Weasley said as she pulled Hermione into a tight hug while narrowing her eyes at her daughter. "Oh, is that all you've had with you this whole time?" she asked as she looked at Hermione's book bag.

"Oh, not exactly," Hermione blushed as she and Ginny exchanged a glance. "The bag is charmed, it can fit pretty much anything and everything, so all my clothes, and my books are in here."

"Oh, that's magnificent!" Mrs. Weasley cooed as she examined the bag. "Very smart of you to do such a thing – I guess I shouldn't be surprised though."

"Actually, it was Ginny who did it," Hermione replied as she gave Ginny a grin, the redhead now looking away, a blush of her own on her face.

"Ginny?" Her mother questioned, obviously surprised at the revelation. "Brilliant work, Ginny! Oh thank Merlin, you really have done more than just play quidditch," she said gratefully as she threw her arms around a surprised and embarrassed Ginny.

"Yes, Mum," she mumbled. "I do happen to get good grades you know. Anyway, we should probably let Hermione get settled."

"Oh yes, of course," Mrs. Weasley smiled as she released Ginny from her embrace. "Oh, Ginny, before you go, you got two more letters while you were at work today. Honestly Ginny, I'm going to start charging for all this mail delivery," she laughed.

"Thanks, Mum," Ginny replied hurriedly as she began to go upstairs, beginning to pull Hermione with her.

"Here," Mrs. Weasley called again, as she summoned the letters and held them out for Ginny.

Muttering something under her breath, Ginny snatched the letters out of her mother's hands and walked past Hermione, beckoning her to follow.

During their journey up the flights to Ginny's room, Hermione tried to see the writing on the letters Ginny was currently clutching in her hands. Who could they be from? The letter Hermione had last sent her would've arrived a couple of days ago, so it certainly wasn't from her. And from the loopy, cursive writing that Hermione caught brief glimpses of from time to time, the letters were certainly from other girls.

Oddly enough, Hermione hadn't given much thought to other girls owling Ginny over the holidays. How much had Ginny been writing to them? Hermione felt that familiar unpleasant tension in her chest as she quickly realized that Ginny hadn't been writing to just her during this time. She felt ridiculous for being jealous about that, Ginny could write to whoever she pleased. Hermione just had this ridiculous notion that Ginny had chosen to write to her and her alone despite the redhead's busy schedule. But apparently, this wasn't true at all.

"-Hermione?"

"What?" The brunette's eyes snapped up to see Ginny giving her a scrutinizing look.

"You okay? You were in your own world for a moment there," the young Weasley replied. "You can set your stuff down now."

Sure enough, the girls had arrived in Ginny's room. Hermione was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn't realized.

"I'm sorry, I'm just tired - a little bit jet lagged I think," the brunette explained.

"Jet-what?" Ginny asked as she sat down on her bed.

"Jet-lagged," Hermione explained. Sometimes she forgot that Ginny didn't fully understand the muggle world. "To get back to England we had to fly from Greece, on a plane. It takes several hours and with the time change it throws your body off its sleep schedule."

"Oh," Ginny replied. "Sounds unnecessary."

"Well," Hermione chuckled, "When you can't apparate, floo or use a port-key, flying - by plane -" she made sure to point out, "is the fastest way to travel."

"I'll take your word for it," Ginny replied. With a yawn she lay back on her bed and stretched out. "I'm tired too; I haven't been able to sleep in at all over the holidays. I lost out on a bet with Ron and he got to work evening shift and I had to work morning – it's been dreadful."

Hermione yawned as well as she took a seat on the bed that had been set up for her. "I think sleep sounds like a good thing right now. Do you have to work tomorrow?"

"No, thank Merlin. Fred and George decided to give me the rest of my holidays off. I have no idea why, Ron asked if he could get the days off too and they refused," she finished with a laugh.

"Well, that was nice of them," Hermione commented, as the twins' mysterious behaviour at the shop earlier ran through her head.

Ginny just nodded and didn't move from her spot on the bed, her arm now draped over her eyes to block out the light.

"Aren't you going to read your letters?" Hermione asked, not being able to resist the temptation as she eyed the letters Ginny had set down on her desk.

"No," Ginny shook her head, not removing her arm from across her eyes.

"Why not? What if they're important?" the brunette probed.

"They can wait," Ginny said with a small chuckle.

Hermione considered pushing further, but could see that Ginny was set on not opening the letters in her presence. Disappointed, Hermione pulled her night clothes out of her bag and went off to the bathroom to get ready for bed. When she returned from the bathroom several minutes later, she noticed that the letters had disappeared.

Ginny went off to the bathroom to get ready and Hermione racked her brain to come up with a clever way to bring up the letters again. Much to her dismay, she failed to come up with a good plan of action by the time Ginny got back.

The redhead turned off the lantern and the room grew dark. Hermione could see the girl's silhouette move over to her bed and climb in, pulling the covers up.

"I'm glad you're here, 'Mione," Ginny said sleepily. "Wake me up when you get up, okay?"

"Sure, Gin. Good night," Hermione said quietly.

"'Night."

* * *

When Hermione woke the next morning, she opened her groggy eyes to find that Ginny's bed was empty. Blinking a few more times to clear her vision, she slowly sat herself up in bed and yawned. She picked up her watch off of the night table and saw that it was around 8:30 in the morning. Odd, Ginny was never up before Hermione, especially if it was this early.

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, Hermione stood and walked over to her bag to gather her clothes. She walked to the bathroom and quickly changed, brushed her teeth and ran a brush through her unruly hair before heading downstairs.

As she came down the last leg of stairs, she spotted Mrs. Weasley buzzing around in the dining room, waving her wand and triggering items to begin cleaning.

"Good morning, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione smiled as she reached the bottom step, causing Mrs. Weasley to turn around.

"Oh good morning, Hermione!" She greeted warmly with a large smile. "Here, have a seat. I'll whip up some breakfast for you. Is bacon, eggs and toast alright?"

"Sounds wonderful, thank you," Hermione replied as she quietly sat down at the table.

With a pop, a plate of warm food appeared in front of her along with a cup of juice. Hermione thanked Mrs. Weasley once more and started into her food. Her eyes wandered around the room for any sign of Ginny, but came up with nothing.

"She's outside right now," the Weasley matriarch stated, having noticed Hermione's inquiring looks. "Practicing her flying, I believe. Like she needs any more, I swear, if that girl could live on the pitch, she would."

Hermione giggled softly and expressed her agreement, knowing that it wasn't too farfetched a statement.

Mrs. Weasley and Hermione engaged in small talk for a while until they were interrupted by a tapping at the window. They both looked over simultaneously, and Hermione saw an owl perched on the sill. Hermione watched curiously as Mrs. Weasley let out a brief sigh of annoyance and went over to the window to let the bird in, retrieving a letter from his beak.

"Didn't want to chase her down while she's on her broom, eh?" Mrs. Weasley said as she glanced at the owl with a smirk. "Alright, be gone, now," she shooed.

At the reference to Ginny, Hermione immediately sat to attention and her ears perked up, hoping for more details on the letter.

"Blimey, what's that girl been up to this semester? She's got all sorts of owls flying in here day in and day out," Mrs. Weasley proclaimed in a sort of displeased tone as she walked over to the table by the front door and set the letter down on top of another one.

"Oh?" Hermione asked simply, hoping her voice was one of innocent curiosity.

"Yes, it's not even 9 o'clock and that's the second letter already. The first owl from this morning, though, that poor thing's been here loads of time since Ginny's been home. Well, my dear, sorry to cut this short, but I have to go out back and deal with the gnomes. Did you need anything before I leave?"

"No, thank you, Mrs. Weasley. As soon as I'm done breakfast I'll come out and help you," Hermione offered, forcing herself to tear her eyes away from the letters on the table.

"You're too sweet. Ginny should be the one helping, not you. Well, enjoy your breakfast!"

A few moments later, Hermione heard the door close and she looked around the room, seeking out any signs of life. Hearing and seeing nothing, Hermione's curiosity won out and she rose from her seat and gingerly crossed the room to the letters. She glanced around nervously before peering closely at the letters.

Immediately, Hermione saw that the seal on the first letter had already been broken. The brunette's mind screamed at her to walk away, but she just couldn't. With another cautionary glance around the room, Hermione quickly snatched up the letter and carefully removed it from its envelope.

_Hey Gin,_

_It's too bad we can't see each other over the next week. I miss you. I can't wait til practices start up again. Your additions to our playbook were really great. I have to think a bit more about my next one, but it's on its way. Well, just wanted to say 'hi' and let you know that I had a great time the other day. Oh, and I'll give you back your jumper next time I see you.  
_

_Take care, can't wait,_

_Demelza_

_PS – My family is having a big dinner on Friday, Mom and Dad said they'd love to have you over again. Sure you can't make it? Just kidding, I know you're busy, but if you can get away...okay, bye for real this time. Xoxo_

Hermione hardly noticed that her eyes were straining to read the letter, as her hands were vibrating with rage. She wanted to rip the letter up, pull out her wand and set the fragments of the message on fire. She felt so betrayed. The thought of Demelza and Ginny being together had obviously crossed Hermione's mind, but to see proof of it was just too much.

The brunette hurriedly tucked the letter away and put it back in its original spot, wanting to physically disconnect herself from it as if that could erase the hurt. She laughed bitterly at herself. For a moment there she actually thought that Ginny might like her. In fact, she had almost convinced herself that it'd be worth a shot, that this whole 'Ginny's not your type. Ginny won't be happy, she won't stay' stuff was nonsense, but apparently her first instincts had been right. Ron had been right, Harry, the team, everyone had been right. Ginny and Demelza. It had a nice ring to it, didn't it? Nothing like Ginny and Hermione. Nothing went well with 'Hermione'.

The brunette didn't know what to do with herself. She absently walked over to the dining table again and sat down untidily on one of the chairs, slouching sideways against the back of it. She was staring blankly across the room, her mind busy with thoughts, when the front door slammed and jerked her out of her trance.

"Hey, you're up," Ginny called from the front door.

Hermione slowly turned in the direction of Ginny's voice and took in the sight of the redhead walking towards her, her cheeks rosy, hair a little unkempt and a smile on her face.

"Are you okay?" Ginny asked as her smile suddenly faded away. "Are you sick?" She asked as she reached forward to touch Hermione's forehead with the back of her hand.

Instinctively, Hermione jerked away to avoid Ginny's touch and was glaring up at her before she even realized it.

"What-what's wrong?" The younger girl asked, taking an unsure step back.

Hermione sighed heavily before responding, "I'm fine. Just didn't sleep well."

"Oh..." Ginny looked unconvinced. "Well, feel free to go back to sleep. And we don't have to do anything major today, we can just take it easy."

"Yeah, I might," Hermione responded blandly. "What's that?" She asked as she nodded towards a piece of paper that Ginny was holding.

"Oh," Ginny said as she looked down at the paper and held it up momentarily. "Just a play I'm working on. I'm kind of working on a playbook," she finished with a light blush.

Hermione indulged Ginny with a small smile before standing and staring the redhead in the eyes for a few moments, the other girl visibly confused by this exchange. Breaking their eye contact, Hermione turned and began to head for the stairs.

"Oh," Hermione said as she turned to look at Ginny before ascending the stairs, "a letter arrived for you."

Ginny turned to look at the front table and strode over, quickly glancing at the new letter before picking up both letters and tucking them into the drawer. Hermione tried to reduce the severity of the scrutinizing gaze she must have been giving the redhead, but she doubted that she was successful.

"Just Demelza and Hannah," Ginny announced casually with a shrug.

"Mm," Hermione nodded. "Well, I'm going to try to get some shut eye. See you later, Gin."

By the time Hermione had climbed the plentiful stairs to Ginny's room, she was barely able to contain her tears and sniffles. She collapsed on the bed and buried her face in her pillow to muffle the sobs the followed.

* * *

Over the remaining days of their break, Ginny had continued to receive numerous letters. Hermione couldn't help but feel hurt each time an owl swooped in and dropped a letter in Ginny's lap.

While the brunette never caught Ginny writing back, she imagined that the popular redhead must have written back at some point or else the owls would have stopped eventually. The fact that Ginny was being so secretive about these letters caused Hermione to be more and more suspicious.

The giddiness that Hermione had felt prior about the letters exchanged between Ginny and herself was as good as gone by the time their return to Hogwarts was upon them. All the hope that had begun to mount inside of her dissolved as the bone-crushing reality of their situation glared harshly before Hermione's eyes.

"Sorry you had to leave your family for this," Ginny said glumly as they were packing.

"What?" Hermione said as she was pulled from her thoughts.

"You've obviously had a miserable time here. I'm sorry your holidays ended on a bad note, I shouldn't have asked you to come here," she said.

Even though Hermione knew that Ginny didn't mean the words the way they came out, she felt upset by the words nonetheless.

"Well I'm sorry my mood has brought you down, Ginny. Perhaps you'll invite better company next time around," she offered without so much as a glance towards Ginny.

"That's not what I meant and you know it," the redhead replied hotly. Receiving no reply from Hermione, she continued on. "So, what has you so upset?"

"What else? My studies," Hermione replied with an exasperated sigh. The brunette's anger flared as she saw Ginny rolling her eyes. Hermione hurriedly closed her bag and headed downstairs.

"Are you ready?" Mrs. Weasley asked when she spotted Hermione coming down the stairs. "Is Ginny with you?"

"I'm ready," the sixth year responded, ridding her voice of the irritation she was feeling at even being in the same house as Ginny. "I believe Ginny's nearly ready."

"Ginny, dear, hurry up," her mother bellowed up the stairs.

A few moments later, Ginny came jogging down the stairs. "I'm coming, I'm coming. Merlin..."

The two girls hardly looked at each other the entire trip to Hogwarts, aided in particular by Hermione confining herself in the prefect cabin once on the train and refusing to leave.

When they arrived at Hogsmeade Station, Hermione wordlessly grabbed her bag and got off the train. The cabin that Ginny had been in was a few cars down from the prefect one and Hermione made a point of walking past its part of the platform, berating herself for her weakness all the while.

Through the sea of black robes, she spotted a familiar redheaded female walking along the platform towards the carriages. She was with Harry, Luna, Colin, and Demelza again. Hermione's breath caught in anger at seeing the two walk closely together.

Hermione let out a shuddering sigh. The highs and lows of this non-relationship were so unfamiliar and it scared her. It was frightening that someone else had so much control over her emotions and that person wasn't even interested in her.

"Hey Hermione, let's go. The carriages are leaving," Ron interrupted her thoughts.

"Oh, right, yes," Hermione agreed awkwardly as they climbed into a carriage with a few other sixth years.

The brunette was quiet the rest of the evening and retreated to her dorm early in an effort to sleep off her tempestuous mood, but anticipated failure. With a self-deprecating grin she fell asleep realizing that if she had to fight off a boggart again, it most certainly wouldn't appear in the form of a failing grade any longer.

**AN**: As they say, 'One step forward, two steps back'. Thanks again for the responses and for keeping up with this winding journey. Next chapter is going to be a big one...


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Ever since arriving at Hogwarts a week ago, Hermione hadn't been ignoring Ginny, but she might as well have been. The girl was distant and seemed uninterested most times. Ginny had tried to come up with activities or topics that would normally pique the studious girl's interests, but nothing seemed to really work. The odd time she'd pull a bit of enthusiasm out of Hermione, but it seemed like just as suddenly as it appeared it was whisked away.

"Are you okay, Hermione?" Ginny whispered to the sixth year who sat across from her at a table in the Gryffindor common room.

"Hm?" Hermione looked up from her textbook. "Yes, Ginny, I'm fine."

"You haven't quite seemed yourself lately...," Ginny stated tentatively.

"I apologize, I don't mean to worry you," the brunette replied evenly.

Ginny would have normally anticipated Hermione snapping at her at such a question, but the calm response she gave caused Ginny to worry more than anything. She just didn't know what to make of this whole situation, if you could call it that. Over the couple of weeks leading up to winter holidays, she and Hermione had grown steadily closer, then during the holidays they had sent owls as frequently as possible to one another and the vibe between them was comfortable and not flirty necessarily, but something akin to it. Then, when Hermione had come to visit, all seemed well for a while, but things went quickly downhill.

Hermione had abruptly become distant and was short with Ginny. If Ginny wasn't mistaken, it tended to be worst around the times those damned letters would arrive. Despite this timing, the redhead was determined to not read into this in the wrong way. A shred of Ginny wanted to believe that Hermione was jealous, but even if that was the case, it probably wasn't the type of jealous that Ginny would be hoping for.

She knew that Ron and Harry hadn't been as close with Hermione recently as they used to be, what with having to share their time with girlfriends now. And Hermione didn't really have any other close friends, so perhaps she was just feeling a little left out. So she had tried to hide the letters from Hermione, thinking it rude to read or answer them right in front of her, but apparently that didn't help.

Now, here she was with an indifferent Hermione, all progress that they had made recently, done and gone and Ginny didn't know what to do about it.

Ginny stared unabashedly at her study partner for a few moments. The heaviness that veiled her after her failed attempt at a conversation with the brunette grew denser as Hermione heeded no attention to her counterpart. Ginny shook her head as she came to the realisation that this was a lost cause, at least for tonight.

She heaved a heavy sigh of frustration and pushed her chair back from the table. She stood and packed up her things, noticing that the brunette paused for a fraction of a section at the redhead's movement.

Ginny stood for a moment staring down at the brunette who remained engrossed in her studies. Looking for any further sign that Hermione cared at all about her departure or would even acknowledge it, Ginny felt her shoulders slump involuntarily as Hermione continued to scribble away on her parchment.

"Well, guess I'll see you later. Thanks for letting me study with you," she said as she began to walk past Hermione.

Shock ran through her arm and cascaded through the rest of her body as she felt Hermione grasp her wrist.

"Wait," Hermione said abruptly.

Ginny turned to look at the brunette and was surprised to see her still looking down at her parchment, but with her arm reached out behind her, gripping the departing redhead. A beat later, she quickly turned around in her chair to lock eyes with Ginny and continued to speak, her voice soft and graced with an apologetic tone.

"Ginny, I'm sorry. I've been...too wrapped up in my work. I hope you don't take offense." She waited for Ginny to respond, but went on when she received only silence. "I hope you're not mad with me."

Ginny stared into Hermione's eyes and saw that her statement was sincere. Even if it hadn't been, Ginny wasn't foolish enough to think that she wouldn't be lulled by it anyway.

"No, I'm not mad with you," Ginny replied patiently with a smirk.

Hermione smiled at Ginny, and glanced down at her hand that was still holding Ginny's wrist and released her hold on Ginny, almost reluctantly, averting her gaze and clearing her throat.

"That's good to hear," she managed. "I was a bit worried."

The girls remained as they were and varied between looking briefly, albeit awkwardly, at one another, and then casting their gaze elsewhere in the room. Eventually, Hermione cleared her throat once more and replaced her anxious expression with a gentle smile.

"So, you guys have quidditch practice tomorrow, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, tomorrow morning," Ginny replied as she shifted her weight from one leg to the other under Hermione's gaze.

"Okay," Hermione said before she furrowed her brows in confusion. "Wait, morning? I thought you guys were doing afternoon practices?"

"Yeah, we were, but Harry decided that some people were too drained by the time school was over, so he thought he might be able to get more out of us if we trained in the morning instead," Ginny explained with a rueful grin. "He's seeming a bit more like Oliver Wood every day."

"Well how early are we talking here?" Hermione asked concerned as she checked her watch.

"Mm, 6 AM," Ginny stated as she winced a little in anticipation.

"Ginny," Hermione chided. "You're going to be exhausted. It's nearly midnight – you should've been asleep ages ago."

Ginny shrugged her shoulders and smiled inwardly at the brunette's concern.

"It's okay, I'm still rested from the holidays, it'll be fine," she reasoned. She clearly couldn't tell Hermione that she was already exhausted, but stayed up just so she could spend more time with the brunette, even if they hadn't been talking or interacting. Just to be with her was enough...Merlin, how pathetic.

"Ginny," Hermione gave the redhead a looking of warning, "I know for a fact that you didn't get to relax much on your holiday. You were working for most of it and when I was there you were up early every day."

"It's fine, it's fine," Ginny dismissed Hermione's concern and began to retreat to the dorms. "I'll go to bed earlier next time," she said mockingly as she smiled at the stern brunette affectionately.

"You better," Hermione relented slightly as she dropped her scrutinizing gaze.

"Goodnight Hermione," Ginny called back with a laugh as she ascended the stairs. She could just barely hear the tut of disapproval from Hermione, followed by a falsely terse "Goodnight, Ginny..."

Upon arriving at her fifth year dorm, Ginny was still smiling at the brief exchange she had with Hermione in the common room. Despite her stern demeanour, Hermione meant well and was concerned for her friend, something that Ginny appreciated in whatever form the sixth year chose to express it.

* * *

The following morning came very quickly and Ginny struggled to keep her eyes open as she padded around her room searching for the appropriate clothes. She wasn't even entirely sure how she later managed to stumble from her dorm to the locker room, but she had pulled it off.

As she stepped out of the locker room and outdoors onto the pitch, the biting wind sharply woke Ginny up from her subdued consciousness and she was keenly aware of all that was going on around her. Examining the faces around her, she quickly came to the conclusion that most everyone else there was in a similar position to her own, particularly her brother who blinked wide-eyed and surprised.

Soon Harry was giving them a prep speech. He advised them that today most of the focus would fall upon the chasers; he wanted to see how they would perform with no beaters to assist them, just fending off the bludgers with their own sharp flying.

Harry laid out a couple of different plays for them to try out and upon execution, they did work fairly well. Katie and Demelza were competent flyers, and Demelza quickly proved to have an aptitude for dodging bludgers. Ginny, on the other hand, nearly took a bludger to the head at one point when she noticed a familiar brunette sitting up in the stands.

Ginny was elated to see Hermione there and was amazed that she had come. She had been up later than Ginny and the redhead wasn't expecting her to drag herself out of bed to come watch quidditch, of all things, in this chilly weather. But here the brunette sat, bundled up, mittens, scarf and all, pawing through a book at the crack of dawn.

Upon safely evading the bludger and moving herself to a better vantage point, Ginny could see that Hermione was looking down at her book and hadn't noticed that Ginny had spotted her. Harry blew his whistle, signalling the end of the play and Ginny was about to fly over to Hermione, but Harry beckoned for her to gather in.

Harry instructed the chasers to take the lead this time and design a play themselves. The three chasers huddled up and with little effort, devised a play that appeased all of them and they broke apart to ready themselves for their start.

As soon as the quaffle was launched into the air, Ginny quickly grabbed hold of it and leaned forward heavily as she shot towards the end of the pitch from more or less a stand still.

Out of the corner of her eye she could see Katie lining up behind her, dangerously close considering the speeds they were going.

Ginny gripped the quaffle tighter as she went over the play hurriedly one more time in her head.

She spotted a bludger shooting towards her in a wide arc from her right, and she steadied her broom making sure to keep her pace.

The bludger flew closer and closer and Ginny's gut was telling her to move the heck out of the way, but she stayed the course.

With a sharp intake of breath, and again, against her better instinct, Ginny released her hold on the quaffle and let it fall. The second it fell from her grasp she pulled her broom up as hard as she could with both hands, the G-force nailing her body.

Out of harm's way, Ginny levelled out to see Katie holding the quaffle and flying steadily towards the goals, Demelza following closely in tow.

Ginny dove back down and pulled up behind Demelza in the same manner Demelza was following Katie, and how Katie had followed Ginny earlier.

Ginny spotted the second bludger coming at Katie fast from below. The three chasers anchored together and held steady as they neared the goals.

At the last possible second, Katie released the quaffle and darted away. Demelza's arm shot out and curled around the quaffle. The bludger shot past her head and would've hit her had she not ducked to the side.

The bludger that had been targeting Ginny earlier was now coming for Demelza head on. Demelza swerved to the right and had no choice but to start a zig-zag pattern to lose the bludger. This made it trickier for Ginny to tail her, but not impossible.

With the bludger now following so closely behind Ginny, Katie couldn't fall back into formation. Instead she shot out a ways in front and soon found the other bludger tracking her.

Ginny huffed, realizing that this play was falling apart at the seams. She quickly looked around the pitch hoping to find inspiration for a way out of this steadily declining situation. Soon her eyes fell upon Hermione who appeared to be watching raptly. Ginny quickly reverted her attention back to tailing Demelza, but a smirk played across her face as another plan began to unfold in her mind.

Ginny tightened her grip on her broom, readied herself and dove. She levelled out when she was a few feet off the pitch; she'd need as much air and speed as she could get.

She glanced up at Demelza who was still trying to lose the bludger. It was tracking her so closely that the time and effort required to take a shot at the goals just wouldn't work, but at least she hadn't strayed too far from them.

Staying low, Ginny flew out in front of Demelza. She turned her broom around so she was facing her teammate and caught her eye. Ginny pointed her hand in the air directly above her and received a puzzled look from the still zig-zagging girl.

Ginny repeated her gesture, this time flying a foot up as she did so. Demelza gave her a wide-eyed look and the redhead simply grinned back. After receiving a nod of confirmation, Ginny readied herself, getting a good, sure grip on her broom and ignored Harry who she could see shaking his head from high above.

"Three, two, one...," Ginny whispered to herself as she saw Demelza fast approaching above her.

Ginny shot upward in a vertical climb, trusting Demelza would do her part in this. Ginny and Demelza rapidly approached one another, heading for a collision, when Demelza thrust the quaffle as far in front of her as she could. Moments later, Ginny grabbed the stray quaffle and blurred past, still climbing into the air. Demelza and the bludger shot past below her and she changed course to rush toward the goal where Ron was waiting.

After a fake out, the quaffle flew through the left-most ring and cheers came from her teammates. Even Ron didn't look too upset. And Ginny had to admit, she was quite proud of herself. True, the move was total showboating, but there was one person that she was interested in showing off for.

Harry blew his whistle and Ginny flew over to find that he was wearing a look halfway between impressed and disapproving.

"You know, Ginny," he said. "There were probably at least a dozen other ways to deal with that scenario."

Ginny put a finger to her chin in pseudo-contemplation before shrugging, "Yeah, but my way was so much more fun." The rest of the team had gathered round by now and they laughed at Ginny's comment.

"Sure," Harry conceded with a laugh. "But let's keep those plays as a last resort."

Ginny saluted Harry with a wide grin on her face. "Aye aye, Captain."

Harry shook his head and smiled. "Okay, I think that's good for this morning. We will still have plenty of time for breakfast before classes, if you didn't have some already," he announced. There was a scatter of groans from the players as the reality of the current time settled in their suddenly drowsy-brains.

"Nice work on that play," Ginny complimented Demelza as the team flew down towards the ground.

"No way, that was all you," the other girl replied with an easy smile.

Ginny laughed. "Well, we would be in the hospital wing if you didn't read my mind back there."

The dark haired girl chuckled as she landed. "I was hoping I was just misreading your signals on that last one."

"Yeah? Well, you did good. Thanks. Not everyone would know what the heck I was getting at," Ginny said as she dismounted and began walking with the team towards the locker room.

"We'll have to add that to the playbook," Demelza joked.

They were now near the stairs up to the stands and Ginny smiled broadly as she spotted Hermione, who was packing up her things. She was about to bid Demelza a brief farewell and run up to meet Hermione when the team called for her. She looked at them, quickly determining what to do, when Demelza's arm came up around her waist and a dull sort of surprise set in.

"Come on," Demelza teased as she made eye contact with Ginny, her eyes bright.

Reluctantly, Ginny let herself be ushered along with the rest of the group and decided that she'd just catch Hermione at breakfast. Unfortunately for Ginny, Hermione didn't turn up at breakfast that morning.

* * *

"What a snoozefest," Ginny mumbled under her breath as she recalled her last class of the day with Professor Binns.

She stood leaning against the cold wall in the hallway waiting for Hermione. It was Wednesday, which meant that Hermione would be helping Ginny with Charms this evening. She let out a soft sigh and tapped her foot absently as she checked her watch. Hermione was late, which was odd considering her extremely punctual nature.

"_Maybe she got held up," _Ginny reasoned.

She was about to pull her Charms text out of her bag to get a head start when she heard someone calling her name from down the hall. She looked up to see Demelza approaching her, jumper in hand.

"Hey," Demelza greeted with a cheery grin. "I was going to look for you in the Great Hall, but hey, you saved me half a trip. Here's your jumper back, thanks again for lending it to me. I didn't expect it to be so cold that day."

"No worries," Ginny smiled as she took the jumper from the other girl. "You probably could've just used a warming spell, you know," the redhead teased.

"Yeah, didn't really cross my mind," Demelza replied in mock contemplation, pulling a light laugh out of Ginny. "Did you want to grab dinner?" The dark haired girl asked as she signaled down the hall.

"Oh, no, I can't right now, thanks though," Ginny responded with an apologetic shrug.

"Another time," Demelza said.

Ginny was about to confirm when a rush of alarm crashed through her as Demelza leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. Ginny struggled to respond, completely caught off guard by the gesture, and instead just stood there, the heat simply radiating off of her face. Before she could even question why Demelza did it, the girl gave her a short wave and walked off down the corridor, leaving Ginny to ponder what the heck happened and what to do. Her mind slowly chugged back to life only to be alarmed once more when she heard someone clearing their throat right next to her.

"Gin," Hermione said with a slight nod, her gaze cast down the hall.

"Hermione!" Ginny exclaimed as she straightened up immediately and smoothed out her clothes in a bit of a panic. The action seemed to annoy Hermione.

"So," Hermione said in an even voice, "good day?"

"Um," Ginny stuttered as she inwardly berated herself for being so flustered, "yeah, yeah, fine. Um, yours?"

"Great. I apologize for being late, Snape held us back to clean up the wreckage from dueling," she explained, the tone of her voice making Ginny uneasy.

"No problem," Ginny said with a small laugh, at which Hermione gave her a tight smile. "Hey, thanks for coming this morning. I didn't expect to see you there."

"Well, I said I'd come to your practices, and I feel partially responsible for your lack of sleep, so I had no choice, really," Hermione replied with a faint smirk.

The brunette looked to ponder her next words and eventually spoke. "Good flying earlier. Though I'll have to hex you myself if I catch you doing another play like that." Ginny laughed. "Good thing it wasn't me out there with you; the play would've gone horrendously. But...you and Demelza did well. You were right, she's quite good. That playbook was a good idea," Hermione added.

"Oh, yeah," Ginny replied, perking up a bit and hoping that the play really did impress Hermione. "Actually, that one wasn't even in the playbook. Just a spur of the moment thing. I'm surprised she was able to decipher my crazy plan."

Hermione granted her a small smile. "Ah. I know I didn't quite know what you were getting at."

"I wouldn't expect you to," Ginny replied with a shrug. "Besides, if you played quidditch, I would expect you to have more sense than me or apparently Demelza, so you would've found a better way of dealing with the derailed play."

"Perhaps."

"Well, should we go?" Ginny asked as she turned. "We can-"

"Actually," Hermione interrupted, her demeanor instantly warning Ginny of rejection, "I came here to tell you that I can't help you study tonight. Along with cleaning duties, Snape sprung a huge essay on us. I need to focus on that instead." Ginny did her best to not let her disappointment show, not only over Hermione canceling, but the fact that the brunette didn't seem apologetic or regretful at all.

"Oh, yeah, that's fine," Ginny nodded repeatedly. "Well, are you going to grab dinner first?" She asked, trying to sound casual.

"No, no time," Hermione replied. "You can probably still catch up with Demelza though."

The heat that had finally dissipated from Ginny's face was back in a flash, and with renewed intensity too. Comprehensive thoughts ceased to exist in her mind as she tried to decide how to respond. She didn't really want to explain anything, cause that would **make** it a big deal, but at the same time-

"Well, I should go," Hermione cut in. "Have a good evening," she said with nod and began to turn away.

"Oh," Ginny said, coming back to reality, earning Hermione's attention enough to prevent her from walking away just yet. "Thanks again for this morning. I guess I'll see you tonight if you're in the common room later."

"Yeah. Well, I won't keep you. Good night."

Ginny resisted the urge to heave a tired sigh as Hermione walked away. Things used to be so easy

* * *

Ginny cursed under her breath as she landed a little roughly on the pitch, annoyed with their loss. The team was pounded today by Hufflepuff and it was downright embarrassing. At least they didn't lose to Slytherin...although perhaps losing to Hufflepuff was a slightly worse fate.

"Okay guys, good game, we did our best, can't always win. Good work though," Harry called to his team as they headed for the locker rooms. Ginny shot him a look and he gave her a knowing nod.

They didn't play good at all, and Ginny wouldn't exactly call it everyone's best effort. Kirke and Sloper might as well have not shown up considering how the chasers had to fend for themselves – Ginny guessed that Harry's practice a few days ago should've been foreshadowing for the heavy hauling they'd be doing, but it apparently didn't pay off very well. Ginny did have to give them **some** credit though; even Zacharias Smith had commented on how well the chasers were doing without the support of...effective...beaters.

A short while later after the team had changed, they entered the Gryffindor common room and Ginny was surprised to find her peers in relatively high spirits. This was a little puzzling to the fifth year considering their shameful defeat, but hey, that worked fine for her.

A gaggle of Gryffindors rushed up to Ginny and enveloped her with praise and pats on the back for her performance that day, many complimenting her specifically on the vertical upshot move, the same one she had pulled off in practice before. Yes, she amazingly did find a use for that move in a real game, again to Harry's amused disapproval.

An abnormally forward third year girl appeared in front of Ginny and offered her a goblet of pumpkin juice coupled with shameless flattery, which Ginny accepted in a daze.

"Looks like that move earned you a few more fans," Demelza winked as she appeared next to the redhead.

"Apparently," Ginny laughed.

"What a crummy game. I can't believe we lost so badly," Demelza continued, raising her voice to be heard over the enthusiastic chatter around them.

"I know. Unreal. Hey, I can't really hear you over all the commotion, let's go over here," Ginny suggested and waited for the girl's approval before pulling her to the side of the room.

"Much better," Ginny said with a self-satisfied smile.

Demelza replied with a sly grin, "Yes, much."

Discomfort began to build inside of Ginny as she realized that her actions could've been interpreted in more than one way. And after that moment in the hall the other day, Ginny was a little concerned about these potentially ambiguous moments. If it kept up she might have to say something about it.

Out of the corner of her eye, Ginny spotted a blur of curly brown hair disappearing up the staircase to the girls' dorm.

"Um, will you excuse me, please? Sorry," Ginny said hurriedly as she handed her goblet to Demelza and pushed her way through the crowded room. She took the steps two at a time to catch up with the brunette.

"Hermione," she said a little breathlessly as she caught up to her just outside Hermione's door.

"Oh, hi Ginny," Hermione said as she turned around, the surprise evident in her voice. "I didn't expect to see you up here," she trailed off slightly. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Ginny laughed. "Everything's fine. I just wanted to catch you before you headed off."

"Oh, yeah, I'm a bit worn down. I was thinking of just heading to bed early, read for a bit in bed or something," Hermione explained.

"Okay, well, how about you come downstairs for one drink," Ginny asked, but quickly saw that her request was going to be rejected. "Please? Butterbeer, pumpkin juice, your pick."

"No, thank you. I'm tired and just want to go to bed," Hermione said as she began to turn and head for her room.

"Aw, Hermione. It's only 8 o'clock...I've hardly seen you the past couple of days," Ginny complained, feeling a bit pathetic but giving Hermione her best puppy dog eyes nevertheless.

"Ginny, please," Hermione responded in a tired voice, but gave the redhead the satisfaction of being rewarded a smirk. She gave Ginny a playful wave of her hand and said, "Go. Enjoy your night."

"It'll be more fun **with **you," Ginny stressed.

"I find that very hard to believe," Hermione responded dryly with a short laugh.

"It's true."

"Well, I should go," Hermione stated in a low voice as she averted Ginny's gaze and took a couple of steps back.

Ginny couldn't restrain the impatient sigh that escaped her lips. Cat and mouse, that's all this was. "Hermione," she said frustrated.

"Ginny, seriously. Go," Hermione said sternly. Ginny refused to move from her spot. Hermione turned around, staring down the redhead who stood before her. "What? I don't understand why you're up here. The party's downstairs and I'm sure there are people waiting for you," she finished, her voice and eyes defiant.

Letting out another frustrated sigh, Ginny stepped toward Hermione, refusing to drop the girl's gaze. "Hermione...don't you get it? I don't care about any of them," she said impatiently, her temper rising despite her best efforts to stop from making a fool out of herself.

Hermione continued to stare back at Ginny, looking taken aback. This did nothing but to amp up Ginny's frustration and she charged on. "If you haven't noticed by now, it's **you **I have feelings for. Not anyone downstairs..." Ginny took a moment to try and register just what she had said and Hermione's reaction, if any.

Against her mind's directions, she spoke once more, "And...I don't know where you stand. Sometimes we're so close and it even feels like we're together. Other times I feel like you're just pushing me away. So, what do you want from me? Are we friends? Are we not? I just need to know...please. I just need to know one way or the other..."

Ginny stared beseechingly at Hermione for several moments. The silence between them was palpable, despite the echo of chatter overflowing from downstairs. Ginny could feel her heart beat strong and fast within her chest. Her breathing felt more laboured with every breath, her skin was growing clammy and she had to focus on swallowing down the sickness that was threatening her.

"Are you kidding me? Is this some kind of game," Hermione laughed unamused. "How could y- I can't believe you," she nearly choked before taking a steadying breath. "I think you're confused, Ginny," Hermione stated. Her stern tone tapered into something wishful thinking would have Ginny believe was nearly remorse.

The fifth year's heart stopped beating, but she stepped forward once more towards the brunette and reached out, "Is this because you're scared? I can understand and I want to help-"

"Ginny! Colin wants a picture of the team. He's-"

Both girls turned around at hearing the voice immediately behind them. Ginny's stomach dropped as she saw Katie standing there, looking suddenly uncertain and apprehensive.

"Oh, um, sorry, I didn't know you guys were talking...I'll come back later," the chaser explained slowly as she began to turn.

"That's okay, Ginny was just leaving," Hermione stated in a strained voice.

Turning back to the brunette, Ginny saw that Hermione was staring at her expectantly.

"Hermione...," Ginny said.

"No, Ginny," Hermione stated in an unyielding tone. "Goodnight."

Ginny surprised herself as her feet began to move. She looked down at the ground, humiliation and shame rising quickly within her and she rushed past Katie and headed down the steps. Somehow, her mind was able to focus on the wonder of her actually being able to navigate the stairs, as she seemed to have no control over her body right now, it felt entirely disconnected from her head and as if she were floating.

When she reached the door to her room she leaned heavily against the wall and tried to catch her breath. She could hear voices in the room, recognizing them as her roommates and she shut her eyes tightly. Why did they have to be in there? She did not want to be around them right now, she needed to be alone.

"Are you okay?"

Ginny's eyes snapped up to see that Katie had followed her, concern shining brightly in her eyes.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine," Ginny nodded as she willed herself to smile, but it was a battle. Katie continued to stare at her, concern doubling if possible. "Really," Ginny assured her. "Sorry about that," she said as she nodded upstairs.

"No, don't apologize," Katie said. "I'm sorry for interrupting. I didn't know..."

Ginny scoffed darkly. "There was nothing to interrupt."

Katie flashed a worried look at Ginny before saying, "Maybe you should come downstairs for a bit. Could do you some good."

Against her better judgement, Ginny followed her down the steps. She vaguely registered how she took each step heavily enough to send a jolt through her body. It took immense effort to take each step and she could even feel a twinge of pain in her joints each time, but to be honest, it felt like relief to her.

When she reached the bottom she scanned the crowd absently, trying to figure out why she was here. She was about turn around to head back upstairs when Demelza shot up in front of her.

"There you are!" She exclaimed with a wide smile. She stared at Ginny for a second and her smile faded away instantly. "Hey, are you okay? What's wrong?"

"I'm just tired," Ginny said with a rueful smirk. Demelza looked on at her completely unconvinced, but mercifully decided not to question Ginny further on the subject.

Ginny soon found herself being herded by Demelza toward the side of the room where it was a bit quieter. She sat Ginny down on the empty ledge by the window and told her to wait. Ginny wasn't about to argue. The dark haired girl returned a moment later with a goblet of pumpkin juice and held it out to Ginny. The last thing Ginny wanted to do right now was drink, but she somehow found herself accepting the drink and taking a sip. She had to admit that it felt refreshing and within a minute she had finished off the beverage, drawing an amused laugh from her fellow chaser.

"Sure you're okay?" Demelza asked once more, eyeing Ginny suspiciously.

"Yes, I'm fine," Ginny assured her as she willed herself to give the girl a small smile.

"...Fine. Well, like I said earlier, I know the team stunk today," Demelza stated with a soft laugh, "but, you were amazing."

Ginny eyes widened in surprise as she felt Demelza's hand upon her own. She looked down at their hands, feeling the need to visually confirm that it was actually happening.

"I'm sorry if I'm being too forward," Demelza said, although not removing her hand from Ginny's. "I just think that you're a really great person. I enjoy spending time with you, and I think we have a lot in common." She paused for a moment, trying to gauge Ginny's reaction. "I just hate seeing you so down like this."

Ginny looked at her hand again to see that Demelza was now stroking it with her thumb. Despite everything, it did feel comforting.

"Thanks, Demelza," Ginny finally said as she looked up at the girl. Her eyes were soft and brown, though not Hermione's shade of brown.

'_Hermione...forget Hermione...she just gave you her answer. Did you see the way she reacted to you? Don't be an idiot.'_

"Don't mention it," Demelza said softly, continuing to hold Ginny's gaze. She began to lean forward very slowly. "Tell me to stop..."

Ginny just closed her eyes.

**AN**: Please, please, please don't hate me. Although, I would understand. I wrote it, and I kind of hate myself for it lol. Like I've said to many of you in PMs, things will get better eventually. I really appreciate you all sticking with me through this daunting journey - I'll do my best to make it worth your while. Big thanks to everyone for their generous reviews, for their alerts/favs and for most of all, taking the time to delve into this story. Update soon.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The following morning Ginny entered the crowded dining hall and looked over at the Gryffindor table, quickly spotting Harry and Ron, but no Hermione. Though this alarmed the redhead, she had to admit she was thankful that she didn't have to deal with the brunette's presence just yet. She also couldn't bear to sit through a breakfast with the boys or any other Gryffindor who might've spotted her last night, so she quickly pulled up a seat at the Ravenclaw table with Luna.

The redhead shrugged off a few of the compliments and condolences that the Ravenclaws threw her way over yesterday's game and ate her breakfast in quiet contemplation. She was afraid that Luna would question her behaviour. She was well aware that the blonde recognized instantly that something was off, but mercifully had allowed Ginny to have her space.

Despite her best efforts, Ginny kept looking around the Great Hall for any signs of Hermione. It all felt so surreal. She had really wished that when she woke up this morning, last night's events would have turned out to be nothing more than a bad dream, but tragically everything that happened was sure and true.

"Hey, you."

Ginny refocused her eyes to see Demelza taking a seat across from her.

"Has all the attention turned you a little anti-social?" The young chaser smirked.

Ginny did her best to compose herself and gave the girl a small smile. "The attention hasn't all been mine, you know. You've had your fair share too. I just wanted to catch up with Luna."

"Oh I'm sorry, that was really rude of me, just interrupting like this," Demelza said as she began to get up.

"No, no, it's fine. Really," Ginny replied as she gestured for Demelza to sit down again.

The girls entered into easy conversation, which surprised Ginny considering her recent resistance against any chatter this morning. Finishing what food that she could, she set down her fork and laid her hands on the table, leaning back slightly as they continued to discuss random things.

A hint of surprise registered in Ginny's mind as Demelza reached across the table and held Ginny's hand in her own. It didn't feel comfortable to Ginny, but at the same time she didn't entirely feel the need to pull away. She made an effort to largely ignore Luna tensing up next to her.

Distracted by Luna and Demelza, Ginny noticed a little bit too late as Ron and Harry walked past them to leave the dining hall. Ginny's eyes followed the pair and could do nothing but shake her head as Ron and Harry stared back at her with bewildered expressions.

An uneasy laugh brought Ginny's attention back to the table and she turned to see Demelza arching an eyebrow at her.

"What was that all about?"

"Nothing, Ron's just being weird again," Ginny muttered.

Part of Ginny was trying to pry herself off the seat, sprint after the boys, explain everything, and ask them where Hermione was, but that part was quickly stomped out by the side that reminded her of Hermione's words last night. Hermione had finally given her an answer, and while it was far from what she wanted to hear, it was perhaps enough to let her begin to move on.

Demelza sat in front of her, looking concerned. She was a sweet girl, funny, cute, they shared the same obsession for quidditch, were in the same year...it should really add up, but it didn't. However, Ginny could still try. Maybe.

Ginny reached across the table with her other hand and laid it on top of Demelza's. She looked up and saw the girl's worried look turn into a gentle smile.

"Team's going to Three Broomsticks a bit later. Wanna go?" The dark haired girl asked.

Forcing herself to return the girl's smile, Ginny nodded her head. "Sure."

* * *

After they had returned from Hogsmeade late that afternoon, Ginny sat on the couch in the common room with a book propped open in her hand. That wouldn't have been such a strange thing except for the fact that Demelza had joined her on the couch and was lying with her head resting in Ginny's lap. It felt incredibly odd to Ginny, but at the same time she didn't find herself stopping the other girl at any point and after last night's rejection, it felt quite comforting – comforting, laced with shameful.

Ginny had kept a watchful eye out for Hermione all day and had yet to spot her. She had no idea what she was going to do when she finally encountered the brunette, and wasn't even sure if she wanted to see her yet, but her mind had been pouring over what Hermione must be thinking since their confrontation last night.

The redhead tensed momentarily as she felt Demelza entwine her fingers with her own. She looked down at the girl and offered her a brief smile before returning her attention, at least partially, to her book.

A few minutes later, a voice broke through Ginny's thoughts, startling her and making her heart seize up.

"Ginny," Hermione called as she approached from behind.

Ginny wanted to leap up from her spot on the couch, but couldn't do so with Demelza on her. She had managed to untwine her fingers from Demelza's under the pretence of bracing herself on the couch to turn somewhat to see Hermione approach. With resigned defeat, Ginny realized that even if she could get Demelza to sit up, it would still be obvious that the girls were lounging together in a very 'friendly' way. Besides, what was the point, Hermione had made it clear that anything beyond friendship was not an option; there was no logic in hurting Demelza's feelings over this.

"I'm sorry I've been avoiding you all day, I had a lot on my mind. I wanted to talk to you about last ni-"

The brunette's hurried words stopped abruptly as she reached the couch and peered over, spotting Demelza with Ginny in this compromising position.

"Oh...," Hermione voiced, as she stared at Demelza, who now sat up to greet the brunette. Ginny's heart began to race as Hermione's words set in, and a wild hope fluttered deep within her chest.

"Oh, hi Hermione," Demelza greeted with a smile. Hermione didn't reply and just continued to stare wordlessly until Demelza let out an awkward laugh. "Um, sorry about that," she offered as she nodded towards Ginny's lap.

"Oh," Hermione said as she shook her head, looking to gather her thoughts. "No, that's fine," she smiled. "I just didn't see you there, that's all."

For the first time since last night, Hermione and Ginny locked eyes. Ginny looked earnestly at Hermione, trying to convey her true feelings for the girl and hoping, praying, that this 'talk' was good news and would in fact still happen.

"We can go upstairs and talk," Ginny offered quickly as she stood.

"No," Hermione said immediately, shooting a look at the redhead. "It's fine, I just wanted to make sure you were okay," she explained calmly, giving Ginny a small smile.

"A-are you sure? I don't mind talking...," Ginny trailed off, afraid of saying too much more in front of Demelza.

"Positive," Hermione assured her. A moment of silence enveloped the group, and Hermione spoke with a nervous giggle, "I'm terribly sorry that I interrupted you two, forgive me." She gave a quick, apologetic nod and began to back away.

"Hermione...," Ginny said, as her eyes followed the brunette, willing her to stay, to say something more.

"What was that?" Demelza asked with a curious expression after Hermione had disappeared from sight. "Was everything okay yesterday?"

"Yeah, yeah," Ginny answered quietly as she dragged her gaze away from the staircase back to Demelza. "It was nothing," she elaborated as she mustered up a smile.

* * *

It had been a couple of weeks now and Ginny and Hermione had steadily begun to avoid one another. At meals, Hermione sat down at one end of the table, while Ginny, Demelza and a couple other fifth years sat down at the other end. Where they used to run into each other in the hallways between classes they no longer did. Originally, Ginny had been the one taking alternate routes to classes, but upon returning to her regular route, she found that Harry and Ron travelled alone, the brunette nowhere in sight and the boys merely shrugged their shoulders in a sympathetic sort of apology. Ginny had ventured to the library on occasion and to her surprise, found that Hermione wasn't there – nor in the common room or astronomy tower. All the usual haunts had been abandoned by the brunette.

That evening, Ginny found Ron and Harry in the common room and sat down with them. Until recently, Ginny had been just as eager to avoid Ron and Harry as Hermione. She was not looking forward to any of the questions they were sure to ask her, but fortunately they had been shockingly patient and not approached her yet. She figured it probably had to do with them likely being afraid of getting hexed if they spoke with her before she was ready; they probably regarded her as a bit of a Hippogriff at this point.

After enduring an awkward questioning period, Ginny was able to coax Hermione's whereabouts out of the boys. Though the brunette had retreated to her room for today, most days after school she had been relegating herself to studying by the lake.

After assuring the boys of their safety, promising that she would not let on to Hermione that they had told her anything, she bounded off and up the stairs to get some sleep.

The following day after class with Snape, Ginny lingered for a short while to chat with a few classmates before slowly heading over to the lake. Ginny knew that Hermione had Arithmancy last and would need little time to walk to the lake, but she wanted to give her some room.

As Ginny walked, a light breeze worked its way through her hair. The wind was oddly warm and pleasant, and the sun was shining. The weather had been mild this winter and had been slowly improving furthermore the past week or so.

As she approached the lake, she spotted a figure seated on the grass, leaning against a tree. Even though Ginny could hardly see her or make out any of her features, just knowing that it was Hermione set off butterflies in Ginny's stomach.

Nearing Hermione, still unnoticed, the butterflies were quickly replaced with an unpleasant tightness in Ginny chest. She couldn't recall a time she had been more nervous about talking with the brunette, not counting the night a couple weeks back, that wasn't exactly planned.

The brunette was so engrossed with her book that Ginny was now standing a few feet away, pondering how to best break the silence.

Ginny quickly cleared her throat and said a short, "Hi."

Hermione gasped and she jumped slightly as her head whipped up to look at the intruder.

"Ginny!" she exclaimed in wonder and surprise. Her wonder was quickly replaced by a stern look as she demanded to know how long Ginny had been standing there.

The redhead threw up her hands in defense, replying, "Only a moment! I just got here."

Hermione examined her closely for a moment before continuing her interrogation. "How did you know I was here?"

"I, uh, was just out for a walk. I haven't come down to the lake in a while, so..." Ginny trailed off, inwardly scolding herself for not having a solid story prepared.

The sixth year narrowed her eyes at Ginny before simply saying, "Ron...," in a low, dangerous voice.

"What? No. I haven't even spoken to him. Or Harry...I just wanted to go for a walk," Ginny explained as convincingly as possible. After receiving another sceptical look from Hermione, she said, "But if you want I can go. I didn't mean to interr-"

"No," Hermione's voice broke in, a little exasperated. "I was just surprised," she continued more softly.

"Okay," Ginny nodded.

Neither girl spoke immediately after, an awkward silence filling the air.

Hermione cleared her throat lightly as she looked down at her book and flipped a page. Ginny remained standing a few feet away and studied her shoes as she absently kicked at the earth.

"So," Hermione broke the stalemate. "Where's Demelza?"

Ginny had been dreading that question, but was slightly distracted from her dread when she caught a glimpse of what looked to be Hermione rolling her eyes momentarily at nothing in particular, muttering something under her breath and biting her lip, still doggedly focusing her attention on the book in her lap.

Ginny caught herself after a second and stumbled through a lame reply, "Oh. Um, I'm not sure."

Hermione's eyes stayed focused on her book, but she nodded her head and let out an almost amused, "Hmmm."

The redhead was suddenly overwhelmed with the desire to bend down and scoop Hermione into a hug. She didn't want to speak; she just wanted to hold her. She steeled herself.

"Yeah, so," she swiftly moved over to Hermione in two large strides and sat down next to the older witch. She shifted briefly as she noticed Hermione stiffening and ever so slightly repositioning herself. Ginny continued. "So, what are you studying?"

"Charms."

"Cool."

Ginny quickly scanned her brain for a follow up question. "What are you guys studying in charms right now?"

"Advanced silence charms."

"Sounds interesting. Just don't use one on me, okay?" Ginny joked lamely.

She looked to Hermione for a reaction. The brunette's eyes had not left the page since Ginny had sat down and the redhead could see the hint of a forced smile on the older witch's face. She forged on.

"Do you think you'll be ready for exams?"

"Not sure."

Ginny's shoulders fell forward at another passive rejection of her attempts to close the rift between them. She sighed at the defeated feeling that fell over her and was fully aware when the girl next to her nearly bristled at the action.

"Um, that night in the common room...," Ginny trailed off, waiting for confirmation of some sort that Hermione knew which night she was referring to. She received a nearly imperceptible nod and continued on, "I feel like there's something more you wanted to say..."

"No, I told you I just wanted to see if you were okay," Hermione stated evenly.

"Well, you seemed...off, after you saw Demelza and I," Ginny ventured.

A moment passed and Hermione spoke once more, "I just didn't know she was there. I was worried that I had said too much in front of her and obviously had to change topics. I doubt you wanted her knowing what you said to me earlier."

Ginny averted her gaze in guilt and mumbled, "Yeah, you're right. Thanks..."

"What are friends for?" Hermione asked with a bit of a chuckle that to Ginny's ears was slightly lacking in warmth. The brunette finally looked up from her book and made eye contact with Ginny and offered her a small smile. "I'm glad you're okay though."

"Yeah, thanks," Ginny said despite feeling like crud. "So, why have you been avoiding me?"

"I haven't been."

"Please, you haven't been around at all recently," Ginny remarked.

"It's not all about you, you know, Ginny," Hermione said with a harsh undertone as she shot the redhead a sidelong glance. "I don't know about you, but I don't enjoy being a third wheel all the time. Ron has Katie, Harry has Luna and you have Demelza."

Ginny was about to respond when Hermione cut her off with a wave of dismissal. "Doesn't matter, this gives me ample opportunity to study."

Silence crept up again and Ginny couldn't let it rest. "So...there was nothing else?"

"What are you trying to get at?" Hermione asked exasperatedly as she set her book down with an audible thud onto her lap.

Ginny felt Hermione's watchful eye on her as she stuttered through a response. Finally, the brunette spoke up to save her from further embarrassment, only to cut her down to size.

"Ginny, we're friends. You don't need to worry about what you said to me that night, it's okay, consider it forgotten. I won't say anything to Demelza. I figured it was a lapse in judgement anyway," she laughed.

A sharp pang rang through Ginny's chest, but she quickly buried it and smiled. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks."

The girls held each other's gaze for a while longer before Hermione exclaimed, "So," and gave the younger witch an exaggerated pat on the knee, "How are things with her? You guys have been...close...for a while now, but I still don't really know her. I probably should have asked you a bit more about her earlier."

Ginny frowned and tried to mask it with a laugh that she hoped wasn't overly awkward as her gaze flitted away from the sixth year's brown eyes.

"That's okay," Ginny said, "I can't say that I put in much effort to tell you more about her."

"Mm," Hermione said with a brief smile before returning to her book.

"Um," Ginny continued, "things are good. So far." She waited until Hermione gave a small nod of encouragement. "She's nice."

Hermione scoffed and shot Ginny an unimpressed look. "Really, Ginny. We're going to have to work on this. Can't have you speaking so nonchalantly about her and your relationship."

The redhead blushed in embarrassment and mumbled her acceptance. The girls laughed awkwardly and Ginny felt an uneasiness descend upon them.

Ginny chuckled lightly before asking, "So do you mind if I stay here and study with you for a while?"

"Oh, yeah, sure," replied Hermione a little uncertainly as she turned her attention back to the book still in her lap. "What are you going to study?" She asked after a few beats had passed.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts," Ginny replied with a grimace, as she pulled a large textbook out of her bag. "Snape assigned us a fifty page reading assignment for Wednesday."

Hermione offered a slight grimace. "He does seem to be in a fouler mood lately, doesn't he?"

"I'll say."

Ginny took a moment to enjoy the feeling of being with the brunette again, despite the lingering tension. Merlin, she had missed her. Why couldn't she feel this way about Demelza?

Several hours seemed to pass and Ginny squinted to read the fine print in her textbook. She reached for her wand and was about to cast 'Lumos' when she took a moment to look around her.

The sun was setting and its reflection was bouncing off the lake. Ginny looked over at her companion who was, sure enough, still absorbed in her work.

The older witch was now scribbling rapidly on a piece of parchment, periodically glancing at her textbook, but never ceased writing.

What caught Ginny's attention more though, was how breathtaking the brunette looked right now. A few stray strands of her already rogue-ish hair had fallen down past her face, but it seemed she had given up on moving them out of the way, or maybe didn't notice them at all. Her hair had caught the sun and the rays had brought out highlights that Ginny hadn't known were there. Although Hermione's hair was partially in the way, Ginny could still see that look of concentration on the witch's face, the look that she had grown so fond of.

While Ginny would've been quite content to stay out here with Hermione all night long, her survival instincts kicked in and she was reminded that food might be a good thing to put on the agenda.

She drank in the profile of the girl before her for a second longer and finally interrupted the brunette.

"Hey, it's getting pretty late. We should probably grab dinner before they clean up," she said gently, only vaguely aware that just a month ago, she would've touched Hermione in some way to get her attention instead.

"Hm?" The older witch questioned as she looked up from her work in a bit of a daze. "Oh dear!" She exclaimed as she took in her surroundings and, too, realized the time. "Yeah, we better go," she continued as she rose from her spot on the ground to begin packing up her things.

Ginny mimicked the older girl's actions and began loading up her bag.

She heard a small shriek from beside her as she saw Hermione's arm shot out. She looked around in confusion and saw that Hermione's parchment was getting tossed along the ground by the breeze. The brunette started to rush towards her runaway parchment, but was cut-off when Ginny went bolting after it.

With what Ginny hoped seemed like minimal effort, she strode back over to an anxious-looking Hermione, parchment in hand.

"Don't worry," the redhead said as she closed the gap between them. "It's in one piece and everything looks fine."

Hermione let out a sigh of relief and gave the athletic witch a grateful smile. She closed the space between them and reached out for her parchment.

Ginny held out the paper to her and willed every muscle in her body to not retract when she felt Hermione's fingers graze hers during the exchange. Ginny's breath caught and she could feel heat rising to her cheeks, but she was also aware of Hermione's rosy cheeks as well.

Before Ginny could get too hopeful about what that could mean, memories of recent events flooded her mind. Hermione was **not** interested – in fact, **quite** not interested. It was reading into moments like these that had gotten Ginny into trouble in the first place.

The girls walked in silence back to the castle and into the Great Hall. There were still a number of students eating, one of which was Demelza. She was seated with her friends and seemed to be laughing about a joke one of them just told. Amid the laughter, Demelza looked up and spotted Ginny, despite the redhead's best efforts to evade her gaze.

Ginny wanted to have dinner with Hermione. They had just reconciled and she was not ready to let the older witch go just yet. She decided that she would just pretend to not see Demelza, however, Hermione was quick to burst that bubble.

"Oh, Gin, Demelza is waving at you."

Ginny tried to decipher the witch's tone, but failed. Hermione was looking at her expectantly now.

"Well? Go," she urged as she pushed Ginny towards her waving girlfriend.

Before Ginny would submit, she looked around to see if Harry or Ron were around.

"Harry and Ron must've already ate. Why don't you sit with us?" Ginny offered.

A look resembling mortification flashed across Hermione's face before she offered a polite smile. She shrugged, responding, "Oh, no thank you. I wanted to speak with Neville about something, so I'll just sit with him. Perhaps another time, though?"

"Sure," Ginny replied.

The two exchanged a somewhat uneasy goodbye before going in their separate directions. Ginny turned on her heel and hurried over to her girlfriend, apologizing for the delay. Though she tried to stay focused on the conversations at hand during dinner, Ginny's eye kept drifting towards the brunette who felt miles away.

**AN**: Huge thanks to everyone for supporting me through that last chapter! I know, extremely frustrating, but everything must run its course :p Next chapter will be from Hermione's POV and I will update somewhat sooner than usual. Thanks again for all the reviews and fav/alert subscriptions, they're much appreciated. Hope you enjoyed the update.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

_**Hermione POV**_

_Dear Miss Granger,_

_I am delighted to invite you to the next Slug Club dinner. It will be held on Friday, April 21st. The party will start at 5:30 p.m. and dinner will be served at 6. R.S.V.P. by owl._

_I hope to see you there._

_Sincerely,_

_Professor Slughorn_

Hermione folded up the invitation once she was finished reading and tucked it into her notebook. She would have to go up to the owlery after dinner and send her reply. What with all that had been going on the past few months - so essentially Ginny dating Demelza - Hermione had nearly forgotten about the Slug Club. Despite her best efforts, it was difficult for her to think of much of anything other than Ginny holding Demelza's hand, Demelza leaning in for a kiss...the whole thing just made her sick to her stomach. The brunette bit down hard on the inside of her cheek and scoffed inwardly. Ginny was a piece of work. Secretly hooking up with Demelza over the holidays, yet still having the nerve to blurt out some bogus confession after that game. Unbelievable. Though, after much contemplation the following day about Ginny's admission, doubt had set in and Hermione decided to go speak with Ginny to rehash their post-game discussion in an effort to see what was true, only to be slapped across the face with what she had originally figured – Ginny was, in fact, together with Demelza...very much together. No wonder Ginny wasn't in Hufflepuff – apparently loyalty wasn't one of her fortes.

For the first time in her entire life, Hermione just wanted school to be over with. She wanted out of Hogwarts and away from this mess. The brunette shut her eyes tightly and swallowed the overwhelming discontent as best she could. "_Focus,_" she told herself.

She wearily flipped the page of her Ancient Runes text and took in the words that blurred together into a giant mass. Sighing, she dipped her quill into the bottle of ink and began to write, hoping that some buried region of her brain had enough clarity to be writing the correct things.

Wrapping up that assignment, Hermione looked at her watch and determined that she had enough time to start on the next one. She read over the criteria and realized that she needed to refer to another textbook. Getting up from her seat she walked a few sections over and began scanning the spines of the shelved books searching for the right one. Eventually her eyes focused on a green book on the sixth shelf up. She began reaching for her wand so she could levitate the book down, but stalled when she saw the book lift off of the shelf and float down into someone else's hands. She looked to the holder of the book, frowning. They must have noticed the perturbed look she was giving them because they turned to acknowledge her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you need this one?" The girl asked, giving Hermione an apologetic look as she held the book out so the title was visible.

Upon second glance, Hermione saw that the girl was Mandy, a sixth year Ravenclaw who she shared Ancient Runes with. Though they'd had Ancient Runes for years together, they'd never said more than two words to one another.

"Oh, yeah, but it's okay. Hey, you're Mandy, right? Ancient Runes?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah," the girl replied with a bashful grin. "You're Hermione, right?"

"Yes," Hermione nodded, slightly amused by how Mandy was blushing. "I take it you're working on the Eastern Runes assignment?"

"Yeah, I try to keep ahead of what we're doing in class," the girl answered.

Hermione smiled. "Me too."

The girls stood awkwardly in the aisle, both now intently examining the rows of books that surrounded them.

Hermione eventually broke the silence with a small laugh. "All the magic in the world and they only have one copy of 'Eastern Runes of the 17th Century'."

"I know," Mandy laughed. "It's a bit ridiculous, isn't it? Well, I'll probably be finished with this book by tomorrow. I couldn't help but notice you're here about as frequently as I am," she paused, "so, if it's okay I'll drop it off with you as soon as I'm done."

"Sure, that's fine," Hermione responded with a quiet smile. Something inside the brunette prompted her to check her watch. "Well, I should probably go and grab dinner. I'll see you later. Bye," she said with a small wave and returned to her desk to pack up her things.

Hermione's idle musings about her conversation with Mandy quickly vanished as she focused on ignoring the familiar twinge that developed deep in her chest every time she touched the bag that Ginny had so thoughtfully given her what felt like a lifetime ago. She hurriedly finished packing and headed for the Great Hall.

Hermione's steps quickened as she passed the fifth years at the Gryffindor table, working hard to not notice how Ginny didn't so much as look her way. The brunette was relieved to see that Harry and Ron were sitting at their usual spot minus their girlfriends. While she was supportive of both of their relationships, she could only take so much of being a third or fifth wheel.

Outside of class, meal times had become the time she'd most commonly see her friends these days. Hermione was used to spending more time than the others on her own, studying, but most of her friends were now more or less absent. She was used to Ron making infrequent appearances, but then Harry became preoccupied, and now Ginny was too.

Not that she wanted to see Ginny all that frequently. It was easier and better for them to be apart. Though distance did make the heart grow fonder in some strange backwards way, it did lessen the temptation. If Hermione couldn't be entirely free of Ginny's pull, at least a little reprieve would help her get by.

"Did you get Slughorn's invitation?" Harry asked as Hermione took a seat.

"Yes, I'll stop by the owlery after to send him my confirmation," Hermione said as she spooned some mashed potatoes onto her plate.

"I'll come with you," Harry nodded.

"Not that crummy club again," Ron grumbled as he pushed the food around on his plate. "What do you guys even do? Rank each other on how great you all are and do some projections or something on who'll be the richest?"

"Ron," Hermione chided. He grunted something else under his breath but didn't say any more.

The three returned to their easy ways once again and the rest of dinner was uneventful. It felt good to be around Ron and Harry, with things the way that they had been, it was easy to forget how good it was to laugh.

After dinner, Harry and Hermione began their trek up to the owlery, while Ron had decided to go back to the common room. After Hedwig was on her way with their responses, they began to head towards Gryffindor Tower. Partway there, a lull formed in their conversation. Hermione looked at Harry out of the corner of her eye and noted that he was mulling something over.

"Harry, are you alright? Is everything okay with Luna?" Hermione asked, concerned.

He turned to her and smiled gently. "I'm fine, thanks. How have you been? We don't see you much anymore."

Hermione chuckled rather bitterly before she could stop herself. Clearing her throat, she shot Harry an apologetic look and explained, "Well, everyone's been busy. And you guys know where to find me if you need me."

"Well, if you need a break, you know where to find us," Harry replied, giving her a smirk. "We miss you, you know. All of us."

Hermione paused before smiling sadly, "I miss you, too."

"Are you coming to practice this Friday?" He asked.

"Yes, Harry," Hermione answered as she gave him a patient smile.

While never watching another quidditch practice or game had most definitely crossed Hermione's mind, she had to keep reminding herself that her best friends were on the team and they still deserved her support – though it did break her heart just a little every time Ginny no longer flew over to tease her about studying instead of watching.

"Great," Harry smiled. "And good news, this whole morning practice deal is getting to be too much; we're switching back to afternoon practices.

Graphorn," he said and the portrait slowly swung open and they entered the common room.

Hermione did her best to not visibly seethe as she took in the sight of Ginny and Demelza pouring over a book together on the couch, the dark haired witch sitting far too close to Ginny for Hermione's liking. She briefly envisioned transfiguring Demelza into a toad before cutting the delightful vision short.

"Well, I'm going to head up to my room," Hermione said so that only Harry could hear her.

"Aw, Hermione, stay down here for a bit. Ron and I won't even talk about quidditch," he implored with a teasing smile.

She returned Harry's smile, but shook her head. "I appreciate that, but it's too noisy down here." Harry looked around at the relatively empty room, perplexed. "Night, Harry," she said warmly as she hugged him briefly. "Good night, Ron," Hermione said quietly to Ron as she leaned over the chair he sat in, catching his eye.

"You're leaving already?" Ron asked wearing a look similar to the one Harry just had.

"Yes, but I'll see you tomorrow morning at breakfast," she answered.

"Want a chocolate frog?" Ron asked as he grabbed one out of the pile before him on the table and held it out to her.

"No, thanks," she laughed heartily before hugging him and waving at the two.

Turning to leave, Hermione felt her body freeze momentarily as she locked eyes with Ginny. The redhead was peering over the back of the couch, head low, when they had spotted each other. Ginny hurriedly broke their eye contact and returned her attention to Demelza.

Hermione moved swiftly towards the stairs and up to her room, any fraction of a good mood she had gained over the course of the evening was now gone.

* * *

The next day Hermione found herself in the library again after classes. She settled herself at her usual table and began working on a research paper for Herbology. She had only just created her outline when a shadow fell over her parchment, prompting her to look up.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt. I'm finished with the textbook-" It was Mandy, she held up yesterday's Ancient Runes text in her hand. "-here you go. Thanks for letting me use it first."

Hermione took the textbook and set it down on the table. "It's okay, you picked it up first, so it was yours."

"I guess," Mandy laughed quietly. "The assignment is a lot shorter than it looks. You'll breeze through it in no time, I'm sure."

"We'll see," Hermione replied, returning the laugh.

"Well, I should go," Mandy announced as she looked around uncertainly. "I'll see you in cl-"

"Hey," Hermione cut her off, drawing a very surprised look from the Ravenclaw, "um, why don't you join me? I'm not a noisy note-taker, I swear," she joked lightly.

Mandy looked around once more, a confused look on her face. From where Hermione was sitting, it looked like Mandy was checking to see if the brunette was talking to someone else. Hermione had to laugh.

Eventually Mandy gave a staggered response, "Yeah, sure, thanks," as she moved to the opposite side of the table and set her things down.

"No problem," Hermione said as she moved some of her papers to make room for the girl.

The two studied in easy silence well into the evening, their only break being for dinner. Hermione was thankful for the company, as Harry and Ron were seated with Luna and Katie again. Sitting with Mandy, she didn't feel quite so bad.

Over the next few days, Hermione and Mandy began to feel comfortable enough with one another to just join each other in the library. It felt a little strange to spend so much time with someone who wasn't Ron, Harry or Ginny, but it was nice to have a companion again.

As they were packing up for the evening, Hermione noticed that Mandy was fumbling with her books and looking a bit nervous.

"Are you okay?" She asked the Ravenclaw.

"Oh, yeah, I'm good, thank you," Mandy replied with an uneasy smile. "So, um, I was thinking that maybe tomorrow we could cut our study session a little short and maybe go to Hogsmeade for a bit?" She asked as she glanced over at Hermione nervously.

Tomorrow was Friday, Hermione realized. She had to go to quidditch, she had told Harry she would and she had promised Ginny long ago, too. The brunette searched her mind for the kindest words to break the news to Mandy, who grew increasingly jittery the longer Hermione's reply took.

"I would love to, Mandy, but my friends have quidditch practice tomorrow, I promised them I'd go watch. Maybe another time?" She said gently, trying to convey her sincerity in her eyes and voice. Hermione questioned her words, she wouldn't exactly **love** to go to Hogsmeade with Mandy, but in an effort to be kind the words just kind of came out that way.

"Oh, yes, right, of course," Mandy babbled hurriedly as she tucked more books away, blushing furiously all the while. "I shouldn't have assumed, sorry."

"You don't need to apologize," Hermione laughed. "It's fine." Mandy merely nodded her head, putting on a smile, but Hermione knew that she was upset and the brunette couldn't help but feel bad. Their walk from the library was quiet and Mandy hurriedly excused herself when they reached the stairway that led to Ravenclaw Tower.

As Hermione sat alone in the bleachers at practice the following day, she gritted her teeth as she watched Demelza fly up to Ginny between plays and push some stray hairs out of the redhead's face. Even from up in the stands, Hermione could see Ginny's face grow red. Jealously flared up in Hermione for what had to be the millionth time since the two chasers had hooked up.

Logic finally set in and Hermione angrily questioned why she was sitting here, punishing herself. She glanced at her watch and with a deep breath she made her decision – it was time to go.

"Hey," Hermione greeted breathlessly, winded by journey from the pitch to the library. "Still want to go to Hogsmeade?"

* * *

Hermione felt déjà vu setting in as she tapped her foot impatiently, standing next to Harry and waiting for Ginny. Tonight was Slughorn's party and yet again, Ginny was holding them up. Difference was that this time it wasn't a run in her stockings that was making them tardy, it was her damned girlfriend.

Demelza was resting her hands on Ginny's hips and whispering in the redhead's ear, while Ginny had her hands on Demelza's arms. From where Hermione was standing she couldn't see Ginny's face, but could just imagine the smile playing across her lips or the giggle she might be granting her girlfriend.

"Ginny," she called out curtly. "We're late."

Ginny's head snapped towards Hermione, a surprised look on her face and began to blush. Finally, she began to peel herself away from Demelza and when she reached Hermione and Harry she mumbled an apology, reluctantly meeting Hermione's harsh gaze.

Hermione willed herself with every ounce of energy she had to stay furious with Ginny. But when she looked into Ginny's sorry eyes, she felt her anger taper off significantly. She didn't hate Ginny, she couldn't, she just hated their situation.

Their walk to Professor Slughorn's quarters was littered with forced conversation, but Hermione preferred that to the heavy silence they would have been subjected to otherwise. After they entered the quarters and had been greeted enthusiastically by Professor Slughorn, they were herded to the round table they'd be eating dinner at. Hermione purposely took her time walking over so that she could see where Ginny would sit. If she was feeling particularly strong tonight, she'd sit away from the tempting redhead, if not, then she'd just put herself through a couple hours of tantalizing torture.

Unfortunately, Hermione was not granted the option of exercising her plan as Ginny seemed to be walking about as leisurely as she was. Harry had already sat at the table and looked back at them, with an eyebrow arched.

"Are you two waiting for the chairs to pick you?" He asked with a lopsided grin.

Hermione and Ginny glanced at each other before looking back to Harry, neither moving. With an impatient huff, Hermione took a confident step towards the chair on Harry's right. "No, Harry, thank you very much for asking," she replied dryly.

Hermione watched Ginny out of the corner of her eye, though she pretended to be focused on laying out her napkin on her lap. The redhead seemed to hesitate for a moment before moving with steady steps to the chair on Harry's left.

"_Fine_," Hermione thought bitterly, trying to erase the glare on her face that she feared was forming. While she still wasn't sure that she wanted to go a whole dinner with Ginny sitting within arm's reach of her, she still felt insulted that the redhead chose to sit away from her. Hermione had reason to be put off by Ginny, what was Ginny's excuse?

At one point during dinner, Professor Slughorn turned his attention towards Hermione.

"So Miss Granger, what do your parents do for a living in the Muggle world?" He asked as he eyed her in innocent curiosity.

"Oh," Hermione blushed under the attention, "they're dentists."

Slughorn looked confused and asked politely, "And what is it that dentists do?"

"They fix peoples teeth," Hermione answered a little coyly, knowing that not everyone at the table would understand. Professor Slughorn wore an expression that clearly indicated that he was part of this group.

"So is this considered a dangerous profession?" He asked.

"Not exactly," Hermione replied sheepishly. "Although, one time, a patient bit my dad's finger and he had to get stitches," she chuckled, perking up as she remembered her father coming home with his finger bandaged up and showing it off proudly like a war-wound.

From across the table, a derisive scoff cut Hermione's laughs short. Judging from the hard look on Blaise's face, it came from him. If Hermione had been somewhere other than in a professor's quarters attending a semi-formal party, she would've contemplated retaliating, but considering their current setting it seemed unwise. She was about to return to working on her dessert when someone spoke up for her.

"Are you choking on your dessert, there?"

Hermione's ears perked up as she heard Ginny's voice. She looked over and saw that Ginny was staring daggers at Blaise. He didn't respond right away and Ginny continued to stare him down.

"Well?" Ginny pushed.

"What?" Blaise finally responded, looking quite put off and matching Ginny's gaze.

"Just wondering if you were clearing your throat or if you actually had something to say," Ginny said, not dropping eye contact, her tone very similar to how it had been when she had confronted Malfoy and his gang of idiots. "You might want to be careful about laughing at dentists, never know when your teeth might get knocked out and you'll need one."

An uneasy laugh broke out loudly across the table and everyone turned to see Professor Slughorn. "Well then! So, Flora, Hestia, how has your mother been lately?" He asked in a slightly strained voice, smiling broadly as he was clearly trying to diffuse the tension that had developed at the table.

While Hermione was thankful for the professor's interjection, it took great effort to hide the smile that was tugging at her lips. She cast her gaze over to Ginny and caught the redhead's eye for a moment. Hermione gave her a quiet smile and nodded her head a fraction, just enough for Ginny to see. Ginny reciprocated the action and Hermione's smile grew before she could hide it by directing it downwards at her food.

After the students had finished their desserts, everyone said their thanks and began to filter out of the room. Blaise shot Ginny and Hermione a glare as he stalked out of the room. The girls spotted his nasty look at the same time and stopped momentarily, turning to one another before breaking down into a fit of giggles. As their laughs died down, they stood smiling at each other and Hermione vaguely noted just how much she had truly missed Ginny. Though Hermione knew they didn't laugh for an extraordinary long time, that short moment filled her with more happiness than she'd felt since Christmas.

"Just say the word and he'll be on his way to Madame Pomfrey," Ginny chuckled. "Though I think that's too good a fate for him, I think he should take a trip to a muggle dentist."

"They're not **that** bad," Hermione giggled as they began to walk, barely noticing that Harry was numerous feet ahead.

"Is there any way we can **make** it that bad for him?" Ginny smirked.

"Gin," Hermione admonished, stopping herself from reaching out to swat the redhead on the arm like she used to.

Ginny smiled while looking at Hermione out of the corner of her eye. "Fine. As you wish. Just know that the offer still stands – doesn't expire for a full year."

"I'll keep that in mind," Hermione said in a flat voice, though her eyes were smiling.

The two girls joked and chatted the whole walk back and for a fleeting moment, Hermione felt as though they had gone back in time to before anything had happened – it felt wonderful. As they stepped through the portrait hole, Hermione's elation was replaced by a strong wave of nostalgia as she spotted Demelza and a few other fifth years hanging around in the corner of the room.

A frown formed on Hermione's face as Ginny stepped out in front of her; she thought the redhead was going to walk over to Demelza without even saying goodbye. Instead, Ginny turned to face Hermione so that her back was to her girlfriend.

"Well, guess tonight wasn't entirely boring," Ginny stated with a wry grin.

"I guess not," Hermione said, trying to increase her enthusiasm, but she just couldn't pull it off.

"I hope you weren't too offended by Blaise, he's an idiot, you know," Ginny said as she folded her hands in front of her, looking a bit uncomfortable.

"No, I'm fine," Hermione replied, feeling that Ginny's uneasiness was contagious, as she now felt self-conscious. "Thanks...by the way."

"Yeah, of course," Ginny smiled quickly. The redhead looked like she was teeming with energy and seemed to be having trouble staying still.

"Well, it's late, I should probably go," Hermione said softly - regretfully.

"Right," Ginny nodded, a little too eagerly for Hermione's liking. "Well, have a good night, Hermione," Ginny said in a voice so quiet and low that it sounded husky to the brunette's ears. Hermione reproached herself severely when a shiver went down her spine and her eyes willed themselves to close.

"Yeah, thanks," she said distractedly. "Have a good night."

Hermione walked in large strides towards the stairwell and forced herself to not look back over her shoulder. She was absolutely positive that she wouldn't like what she'd see.

**AN**: Huge thanks again to everyone for taking the time to keep/catch up with this story - all the support I've received is overwhelming and I really appreciate it. So here you have Hermione's POV on things, and a bit of a spin on a scene from Half-Blood Prince. The timeline at this point in the story has jumped far ahead from where it was in the last chapter, but it's intentional and in accordance to the girls' limited interactions with one another, so just a bit of a brief explanation on that. Hope you enjoyed the update (and hope everyone's had a chance to see Deathly Hallows Pt. 1 lol)


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"Shh, would you guys be quiet," Ginny said in a harsh whisper to her troublesome companions. "Now let's hurry; it's curfew."

Demelza snorted out a laugh. "I thought McGonagall made **Ron** prefect, not you," she teased.

"Ha. Ha," Ginny replied, unimpressed, shooting Demelza a look over her shoulder as she led the way back to Gryffindor Tower.

They had been out by the lake just minutes ago and were now rushing through the quickly quieting corridors. Ginny had received an owl from Fred and George earlier at breakfast, instructing her to be by the lake around 8:30 that night and to bring those she 'deemed worthy' - whatever that meant. She had been studying for her O.W.L.s with Demelza, Colin, and Eleanor, so she just invited them along for the adventure.

Sure enough, at 8:30 sharp an owl came into view from the distance, carrying with it a small package. It swooped down and dropped the package into Ginny's waiting hands before going on its way. The fifth year wasn't sure what to expect, especially coming from Fred and George, but she opened it regardless. The contents inside the box had made Ginny frown in disappointment and confusion. She pulled a single potion bottle out of the box to examine it. As she looked at it, Demelza reached into the box and pulled out a small piece of parchment.

"Enjoy your Draught of Peace. It is exam time, after all," Demelza read out loud before holding the letter out to Ginny.

The redhead arched an eyebrow in disbelief. There was no way her brothers would send her Draught of Peace, especially since she already knew how to brew it, and quite successfully at that.

Ginny popped the stopper out of the bottle and warily brought it towards her nose, wafting the scent towards her. She frowned deeper.

"This smells like...Firewhiskey," she stated in mild surprise, holding the bottle out once more and staring at it wide-eyed.

Her friends chimed in with enthusiasm and snatched the bottle out of her hand. They each took a sniff of the drink, seeming to want to confirm Ginny's theory. Finally, Demelza gave Ginny a look and tentatively put the bottle to her lips and took a quick swig. She pulled back making a face.

"Ugh, that's Firewhiskey, all right," she muttered. She took another swig, this time more generous, and held the bottle out to Ginny.

"Okay, okay. We should head back," Ginny replied, a little annoyed. She had had Firewhiskey before, her brothers were Fred and George after all, and she didn't mind it, but for some reason she was in a bad mood and Firewhiskey didn't interest her in the least right now.

"Maybe we can drink some of it back at the Tower – the prefects will be out," Colin suggested, looking surprisingly eager.

"Fine," Ginny said as she tucked the bottle away in her bag, "Let's just go."

So now, here they were, curfew looming over them despite being a good ways away from Gryffindor Tower, being sidetracked with dropping off Eleanor at Hufflepuff Basement. Ginny's annoyance grew as Demelza and Colin chirped back and forth noisily behind her in anticipation of drinking the 'gift' her brothers had so thoughtfully provided.

"Shh," she said again, picking up the pace in her irritation.

They started up a set of stairs and Ginny groaned when she saw Anthony Goldstein and Mandy Brocklehurst waiting at the landing. All Ginny could do was continue to climb as the stairs shifted her and her friends towards the pair. She noted how Demelza and Colin had abruptly become silent.

"It's past curfew," Anthony said, standing before them with his arms crossed.

"I know, I'm sorry, we were in the library and we're heading back to Gryffindor right now," Ginny replied, hoping to get them off the hook.

She eyed Mandy. She'd never paid much attention to her before, but over the past few weeks she'd seen her frequently spending time with Hermione. Ginny had to admit she didn't fancy that at all. It had been months since Hermione had shut Ginny down, and though Ginny was still with Demelza, it had done very little to change the redhead's emotions for the older girl. Hermione and Mandy were just friends, but it still didn't sit well with Ginny.

"Studying for O.W.L.s?" Mandy asked.

"Yes," Demelza replied. Ginny thought she heard a bit of a tone in her reply. Then Demelza went on. "I didn't know you were a prefect."

Ginny's eyes went wide in alarm and she turned from her girlfriend to Mandy and back again. True, Ginny didn't recall Mandy being a prefect, but still, she wasn't about to call her out on it...at least not with this bottle of underage sin in her bag.

"Padma's sick tonight," Mandy replied. "She asked me to sub in for her." Anthony just narrowed his eyes at Demelza.

"Okay...," Demelza replied slowly.

Anthony glared at her further, and his expression changed from antagonistic to suspicious.

"Why do I smell Firewhiskey?" He asked.

Colin, Demelza, and Ginny all were silent, their faces turning red. Before Ginny could come up with a witty excuse, Anthony gave a stern nod of his head and demanded a bag check. Ginny nearly croaked. She was torn between arguing that he didn't have a right to look through her bag - though he might, she just never knew of the Gryffindor prefects doing that - and keeping quiet to avoid attracting unwanted attention. Maybe they just wouldn't see it.

A few minutes later, Mandy pulled the potion bottle out of Ginny's bag. If the fifth year wasn't so preoccupied with doing her best to not look any more suspicious than she already did, she might have realized how much her dislike for Mandy was growing. Ginny was about to spew some big lie about working on her potion-making, but she just had the feeling it would backfire. Besides, Mandy had already popped open the bottle and was smelling the 'potion' inside.

Ginny sighed as Mandy gave her an almost apologetic look and handed the bottle into Anthony's waiting hand.

"Weasley," he said simply as he put the stopper back in. "I'll be confiscating this. 10 Points from Gryffindor for being out past curfew, another 10 for having an illegal drink on you," he rattled off, looking down his nose at the three. "We'll escort you back to Gryffindor Tower now."

Ginny sulked and shuffled along behind the prefect and wannabe-prefect. Demelza and Colin didn't look to be in any better spirits, but Ginny didn't care.

"_This is Demelza's fault_," Ginny thought, painfully aware of how juvenile, and likely inaccurate, the accusation was. "_Why'd she have to drink it? What was she thinking?_"

Ginny continued to berate her girlfriend's behaviour in her mind and started to develop a greater feeling of uneasiness as they approached Gryffindor Tower.

"_Oh Merlin, don't let Hermione see us. Oh please. I don't want her to know about this,"_ Ginny dreaded. She could already see the look that Hermione would give her, including the accompanying disappointment the brunette's eyes would express.

It didn't take Ginny long to realize that the two Ravenclaws weren't taking them directly to the common room; instead, they were likely searching for Ron and Hermione. Ginny rolled her eyes – just her luck. Soon enough they rounded a corner and spotted the two Gryffindor prefects. Ginny did her best to appear nonchalant. Her brothers would take something like this in stride and so should she.

"Hermione, Ron," Anthony called out.

The two turned to see the group approaching. Ron spotted Ginny and she gave him a sour look that only seemed to amuse him. Hermione looked on, at first concerned, but upon seeing the three fifth years in question, she turned serious and stern. Her gaze lingered upon Ginny for a second longer than the rest, before turning away to Anthony, clearly unimpressed.

"What happened?" Hermione asked curtly. If Ginny didn't know Hermione better, she might've assumed that Hermione was annoyed with Anthony, but she wasn't so naive as to think that.

Anthony simply handed Hermione the bottle. She gave him a curious look tinged with annoyance as she read the label. He gave her a look that prompted her to open it. If Ginny could've sunk into the floor, she would have.

"Firewhiskey?" She asked, looking between Anthony and Mandy.

Ron burst out into laughter, which quickly ceased when he received harsh looks from Anthony and Hermione. Ginny glared at him and discretely brandished her wand at her side, just enough for him to take notice and he cowered slightly, but gave her a sympathetic smile. "Fred and George?" He mouthed, she just rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Whose was it?" Hermione asked as she stepped forward between Anthony and Mandy, them moving aside for her, and she eyed each of the Gryffindors in scrutiny.

Ginny briefly dropped her gaze, but slowly returned to meet Hermione's eyes that were shimmering with subdued anger. With a bit of reluctance, Ginny slowly raised her hand, hating how she felt like a small child, but hated disappointing Hermione, more.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Ginny winced in anticipation of the onslaught that Hermione was about to deliver and was confused when Hermione directed a question to Anthony and Mandy. "Did you take points off?" She hadn't dropped Ginny gaze.

"Yes," Mandy replied. "20 Points altogether."

"Good," Hermione said. She paused for a second and turned her head to face the Ravenclaws. "Thank you, Ron and I can take it from here." The brunette's head snapped back to face the fifth years, Ginny in particular. "You three, common room, now," she ordered.

"Aw, Hermione, take it easy on them," Ron cut in. "No harm done."

"No," Hermione replied sharply. "The rules are the rules. Ginny, you should know better."

Ginny felt as though she might as well just shrivel up on the spot. She felt so terrible, it felt almost like her disastrous attempt at getting Hermione to fly.

"I'm sorry, really," Ginny repeated, struggling to hold Hermione's gaze. Her eyes flitted away in uncertainty before she faced the brunette again. "Is there anything I can do to make it up?"

Ginny's mood worsened as Hermione narrowed her eyes at her. "No. Just try to stay out of trouble," she said.

Movement behind the brunette caught Ginny's eye. Anthony and Mandy were finally leaving.

"Um, night Hermione," Mandy said tentatively.

"Night," Hermione replied brusquely, still staring down Ginny. The brunette shook her head briefly before turning to Mandy. When she spoke her voice was considerably softer, "Sorry. Have a good night, Mandy. Thanks-" She gestured to the fifth years. "-See you tomorrow."

Mandy gave her a small smile and the two disappeared down the corridor.

Ron briskly stepped past Hermione and put his arms out to usher the three Gryffindors down the hall. "I'll take them back, you got the rest of rounds, right?" Ron called over his shoulder.

"Fine," Hermione replied evenly and walked away.

The group walked in silence for a while, Demelza and Colin likely too afraid to speak, and Ginny just feeling too wretched.

"That's the most remorseful I've seen you in ages," Ron chuckled. "I bet Mum only wishes she could have that kind of power over you," he continued with a light nudge.

"Shove off!" Ginny exploded.

"Hey, I tried to help you back there," Ron argued. He was right.

Ginny sighed. "I know...thanks. I appreciate it."

Ron said the password and the Fat Lady granted them access to the common room.

"I'm gonna go help with the last bit of rounds," he announced. Turning to Ginny, he gave her a wink. "Try to stay out of trouble."

* * *

A couple of weeks later, Ginny had written all of her O.W.L.s and her hard studying had paid off, she was the proud recipient of nine O's. She now sat with Luna at the Ravenclaw table, the two having decided that they needed to have a little girl time apart from their significant others. The Gryffindor was putting in an honest effort to focus her attention on the conversation she was having with the blonde, but her attention was split between the Ravenclaw and her usual weakness.

Ginny watched intently as Hermione ate dinner with not Harry, Ron, or even Neville, but instead with Mandy. Ginny had more or less gotten used to seeing the two together by now; however, she still didn't like it.

Ginny tried to reason with herself. She shouldn't be upset that Hermione was hanging out with someone else, after all, she had more or less been left behind by the others this year now that they were all in relationships and hadn't been making the time to hang out with her. Ginny knew that even she was guilty of this.

Of course, Ginny still wanted to spend as much time as possible with Hermione, but she realized long ago that she couldn't and that she shouldn't. She was well aware that if she wanted to give her relationship with Demelza a fighting chance, she had to distance herself from Hermione, so she had. Unfortunately, that had given someone like Mandy, room to sneak in. Even though Mandy was only a friend, Ginny still couldn't completely repress her simmering jealousy.

"Does she mind?"

"Huh?" Ginny asked dumbly as she turned her eyes away from Hermione's profile towards the blonde who was peering at her with a calm, serene look on her face.

"Your girlfriend, does she mind?" Luna elaborated.

Although Ginny's brain was a little slow to comprehend what Luna was referring to, her gut must have known because a sort of panic began to set in and she could feel heat rise in her face.

"Um, mind what?" She asked.

Luna gave her a patient smile and simply nodded her head towards the Gryffindor table. Ginny scanned the area that Luna had directed her to, and instantly had a sinking feeling that Luna was gesturing to the one person Ginny didn't want her to point out.

"I think it's quite obvious, you know," Luna stated in her airy manner. "I can't say that I blame you though. She'd be quite a catch."

Ginny inwardly balked at the jealousy and alarm that bubbled up inside of her. She did her best to contain it, but it looked like the ever-observant Luna had spotted her reaction, as the smallest hint of a smile graced her lips.

"I'm not interested in her, Ginny. I'm quite taken with Harry, actually," Luna smiled.

Ginny laughed briefly in embarrassment before asking, "How long have you suspected it? I had a feeling that you knew."

Luna pondered a moment before replying. "Well I've always seen chemistry between you two, but I noticed you acting differently this year, maybe even last year too. I have to say I was surprised about you and Demelza, though I guess I shouldn't have been, all things considered."

Ginny gave Luna a puzzled look. "Considering what?"

Luna shrugged.

Ginny willed herself to not roll her eyes at the blonde. Okay, she'd try another approach.

"So, what do you see about...Hermione?"

Luna smiled as she rose from her seat. Ginny was about to badger her for an answer, but Luna cut her off. "Demelza is a nice girl, Ginny," she said in a voice much more serious than Ginny was used to and it caught her off guard. The blonde's tone softened and she smiled, "A Pinnyrae can hop or skip, but she can't do both at the same time."

"What?" Ginny asked, quite puzzled on some level, though her gut twisted in apprehension of the truth settling in. "What do you mean, Luna?"

The blonde paused for a moment and looked at Ginny solemnly, but with compassion in her eyes. "I think you know. It's not my place to get involved or fill in the blanks, but please, think about what I said."

With that, Luna's somber demeanour immediately dissolved as she floated out of the Hall, examining her surroundings in her usual dreamy way.

"Pinnyrae...what in the world," Ginny mumbled as she dropped Luna from her field of vision and turned to look back over in Hermione's direction.

Regardless of how dear Luna had delivered her message, the point was clear to Ginny. She was being unfair to Demelza – and Luna was very right, she couldn't have it both ways. The thought that she was being unfair to Demelza had crossed Ginny's mind many times before, but she had always found ways of justifying her actions. Truth was though, she wasn't really invested in the relationship and she needed to get in or get out.

The redhead let out a heavy sigh and removed herself from the table. As she walked out, she took a quick glance at both girls and shook her head slightly. She had some big decisions to make, but deep down she already knew what she had to do.

* * *

"How'd it go?" Ron asked as he looked up from his magazine.

"About as good as something like that can go," Ginny replied with a loud sigh. She moved away from the Burrow's fireplace that's flames ebbed back from roaring green to a flickering orange. She sat down heavily in a chair across from Ron.

She had just come back from Demelza's house and had done the inevitable, broke up with the poor girl. Demelza had been calm, and even said that she half-expected it, calling Ginny out on how she'd been distant for weeks now. Ginny apologized as best she could, but Demelza dismissed her apologies and said that she knew Ginny hadn't been trying to hurt her, that things change, people change, and unfortunately, stuff like this happened. She expressed that she was happy that this happened during the summer so that they didn't have to see each other every day and play on the team together right away; the space and time apart would give her a chance to get over things in her own time.

Ginny thanked sweet Merlin that Demelza hadn't probed too deeply into Ginny's motivations for breaking up and was content with the "I like you as a friend" reasoning. The girl even gave her a hug with what Ginny hoped wasn't the beginnings of tears.

"Merlin, I hope I didn't make a mistake," Ginny mumbled as she stared at the ground, her fingers playing idly. "She was so sweet about it, Ron, you have no idea. I felt like a monster."

"You're not a monster," Ron chided. "A brat, but not a monster," he laughed.

"Shut it," Ginny warned as her eyes flashed dangerously. "How can you joke right now, I just broke up with a really kind, sweet girl that adored me. And for what? For a girl that doesn't even like other girls! A girl that I have a fairly strained friendship with right now because I can't stand to be around her too long because it's too tempting!"

"Sorry," the older Weasley mumbled. "I guess that is a rough situation."

Ginny scoffed. "Yeah, maybe."

"I wish I could help more," Ron said with an apologetic smile. "Hermione has been really closed off to both Harry and I all year, so I don't know much more than you do."

Ginny slouched in her chair. This situation just never seemed to get better. Why in the world did she still feel this way for Hermione? She just wanted it to end, but Ginny knew all too well that in the end she'd stay as close to Hermione as she possibly could.

"I don't know what to say, Gin. You know I'm no good with this stuff. I don't know for sure what Hermione's...preference...is, and I don't have any kind of intuition, or whatever you girls call it, about this sort of thing, but Hermione acts different around you," Ron said.

"You mean she avoids me more than most people?" Ginny asked sarcastically.

"Look, I'm trying to help," Ron said as he gave Ginny a tired look.

"I'm sorry, go on," Ginny apologized.

"All I'm saying is something's up. I dunno, Gin. This really isn't my forte."

The youngest Weasley sighed. "But she turned me down."

"I guess," Ron replied slowly. "Normally I would just say she's nutters, but something's going on, cause she was off all year. And if I noticed it," he pointed to himself, "then it's got to be major."

Ginny gave her brother a crooked grin. "Thanks, Ron. I appreciate it. I guess I should try to spend more time with her again or something. I won't feel so wicked about it now that I'm not with Demelza."

"Yeah, worth a shot," he said as he flipped the page of his magazine.

"I know, but she's always with that Mandy girl now," Ginny said darkly. She certainly hadn't forgotten about that little factor. Ron must have picked up on her tone because he looked up at her questioningly.

"Don't worry about her," he said sternly, looking his sister in the eye. "Besides, we don't even know if Hermione's into girls. And they don't even 'hang out' together, they just happen to study together, there's a difference."

"Sure," Ginny obliged, though she felt no better. Ginny sighed as she got up from her chair. She didn't feel like chatting anymore.

As she began to cross the room, Pig came flying through the open living room window carrying a letter. Her breath caught as she saw him fluttering in, knowing that the letter was for her since she had sent him off a couple days ago to Hermione's.

Sure enough, he landed on her shoulder and began hopping up and down excitedly, hooting as best he could with a letter in his mouth. Upon looking closer, Ginny saw that Pig was holding two letters. Ginny took the letters from him, looked at the writing on the envelopes that was surely Hermione's and shot Ron a look of irritation over her shoulder. She walked over to him and handed him his letter. She shouldn't be jealous that he was getting a letter, but she was. He shrugged in reply and opened it.

Ginny didn't bother to move from her spot and glanced at his letter. She saw a few key words which indicated a normal, Hermione-like letter. Satisfied, Ginny walked away and gave Pig a small treat before rushing up to her room to read her letter.

With an unsteady hand, Ginny peeled back the flap on the envelope and pulled out the letter within. She unfolded it, flattening it on her desk and her shoulders slumped when she saw how much shorter her letter was than Ron's. With a sigh she began to read.

_Ginny,_

_How are you? I am leaving for Switzerland with my parents in a few days time, so I just finished packing. Again, the bag you gave me is coming in handy as I can carry all the books I need and not have to worry. Do you start working with Fred and George again soon? Hope all is well. Say 'hello' to everyone for me._

_Hermione_

Embarrassment fell over Ginny as she folded up the letter and tucked it away, as if putting it out of sight would make her feel better. The letter she had sent Hermione had been nearly a page in length. She felt like a fool for being so chatty in her letter; clearly, Hermione wasn't feeling as chummy. Although, Ginny supposed that the amount of time that it took for Pig to return with a letter should have been her first indication of Hermione's feelings. This letter was a far cry from what their letters had been like at Christmas.

Ginny sighed. This was going to be a long summer, and for once, perhaps not in a good way. However, she was still determined that things would turn around.

* * *

The end of summer was fast approaching and Ginny was getting antsy. She and Hermione had spoken very little over the holidays, mainly due to Hermione being a thousand miles away in Switzerland – or at least that's the reason Ginny liked to go with. Hermione's letters always seemed hurried and never really revealed too much. Ginny, too, kept her letters concise and stuck to mundane details. It was boring, but she just felt it best to match the older girl's tone, at least for now.

Starting tomorrow, Hermione was going to be staying at the Burrow once more – one final summer. As annoyed as Ginny was with Ron for how much closer he seemed with Hermione than herself, she did owe him thanks for finally convincing the girl to come out to the Burrow before the semester started. It would only be for a few days, but Ginny was thrilled and eager to see the brunette that she missed so much. She was free of Demelza this time around, and although that didn't guarantee anything for her and Hermione, it would make being friends easier.

Ginny was irritated that Fred and George insisted on her working tomorrow since she really wanted to be here when Hermione arrived. But, there was a huge get-together happening tomorrow afternoon at the Leaky Cauldron, mostly seventh years, and the twins anticipated that the shop would be bustling because of it. Ron had informed Ginny that he and Harry were forcing Hermione to go to the party, so Ginny was now all set to conveniently stop in after work.

The redhead's nerves trilled at just the thought of seeing Hermione again. She felt frightened for some reason, however it also felt like they'd be reuniting not after just a summer apart, but half a year – since Christmas, really. Although nothing had probably changed in Hermione's world, it felt like a fresh start for Ginny and she wanted to make things right.

**AN**: *Gasp* Perhaps a step in the right direction? Leave it to Luna, she always sets things right lol. Thank you again to everyone for taking the time to read this story. Thank you to all those who added this story to their favs/alerts, and big thanks to those who left comments - they're always appreciated. I hope this chapter was enjoyable and *maybe* relieved at least a bit of frustration. Next stop, Leaky Cauldron!


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Fred! George!" Ginny called out to the twins as she tossed her apron onto a bench in the back room. "I'm leaving for the night – you're on your own."

The twins, who sat crouched over a new device of theirs that they were tinkering with, looked up at their sister simultaneously and both gave her wicked grins.

"Have fun," they cooed as they batted their eyelashes and made kissing noises.

"Shut up!" Ginny yelled as she threw the first thing she could reach. They both ducked and the mystery ball exploded as it hit the back wall. Instantly, a wretched smell began to permeate the air.

"Ah Merlin, why'd you have to throw **that**?" Fred asked as he pulled out his wand and cast a spell that cleared the air.

"I'll throw something worse if you guys bug me again," Ginny promised as she turned to leave. "Bye!"

The youngest Weasley dashed out of the store with a brief wave and walked briskly down the street. Slowing her pace by a fraction, Ginny approached the tavern and opened the door. Even from outside she could hear the riotous hollers and chatter, and it only intensified when she stepped inside.

The redhead couldn't help but laugh fondly as she spotted so many familiar faces talking excitedly and having a good time. There were Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs and even a few Slytherins. She let her eyes scan the crowd and sought out the Golden Trio. Eventually, a waving hand from the back caught her attention and she saw Ron. As she approached she noted that Harry, Katie and Luna were there, but no Hermione.

"Where's Hermione?" Ginny asked as soon as she was within earshot, her curiosity overpowering the need for pleasantries.

"She's here, just said she'd be back in a few minutes. Didn't say where she was going, though," Ron explained while following Ginny with his eyes as she took up a seat next to Luna.

"Oh okay," Ginny replied distractedly as she scanned the crowd once more, looking for any sign of the brunette.

"How are you, Ginny?" Luna asked before taking a small sip of her butterbeer.

"I'm good, thanks," Ginny said as she flashed the blonde a wide smile. "Yourself? Is Harry still treating you well?" She asked as she gave Harry a playful grin.

"Yes," Luna chuckled, "He's been wonderful." The blonde and the boy-who-lived shared a glance which made Ginny blush, feeling as though she intruded on a moment.

Eventually, Ginny cleared her throat once Luna returned her attention to her butterbeer. "I should thank you for your...advice...back at Hogwarts. You were right," Ginny declared with a nod.

Luna indulged her in a small smile coupled with a mischievous twinkle in her eye. "What advice?"

Ginny laughed. "Right, of course. You were simply explaining Pinny- Luna?" Ginny stopped midsentence when a look of alarm crossed the blonde's face. Ginny turned in her seat to investigate the area where Luna's worried eyes were staring and hardly noticed that everyone at their table had suddenly quieted down.

Ginny's stomach lurched when she turned to see Hermione walking towards them, not alone, but with Mandy. Ginny's eyes were drawn towards Hermione's delicate fingers entwined with Mandy's as they approached. It felt like Ginny couldn't breathe.

When they reached the table, Hermione pulled up a seat for Mandy and the two sat down. Hermione must have been aware of the stares people were giving her, because her beautiful, pale skin flushed a shade of pink under their silent scrutiny. Ginny also noted that Hermione hadn't once looked her way.

"What?" Hermione laughed as she exchanged a glance with Mandy. The Ravenclaw reached for Hermione's hand again and held it in her lap.

Ginny gritted her teeth so hard she thought they'd break. She wasn't even quite sure if she was dreaming or not, because she couldn't feel her heart beating anymore. She willed Hermione to jump up indignantly and lash out at the girl, but she did little more than blush and turn slightly away for a mere moment before returning to meet Mandy's gaze.

The youngest Weasley was only very, very vaguely aware of how Harry and Ron stared at the two girls with their mouths slightly open before turning their shocked faces towards her. Luna's posture slumped slightly next to her, and she could feel the blonde eyeing her carefully.

Ginny kept watching and waiting. She had not taken her eyes off of Mandy and Hermione; she wouldn't have been surprised if she hadn't blinked yet. She kept thinking that any time now, Hermione was going to come to her senses and slap Mandy away. Time had slowed, and with each passing moment, Ginny could feel her heart split further and further in half as Hermione remained where she was.

Some small portion of Ginny's brain thought that Hermione looked slightly uncomfortable, but then she quickly reasoned that Hermione had never been public with anyone...of course she was uncomfortable.

How long had this been going on? Why? How? The questions barrelled through Ginny's mind until it was just a cluttered mess.

"Ginny."

A harsh whisper in her ear broke her reverie. She grunted a small noise of acknowledgement, not taking her eyes off of the two before her.

"Let's go." It was Luna, her voice sounded stern and urgent and so unlike her.

Ginny didn't move from her spot. She stared intently at Hermione, daring the girl to look at her, but it seemed the brunette wasn't up for the challenge. Ginny could see Harry and Ron gesturing to Luna and she felt the blonde grab her by the arm, pulling her.

"Please," she heard Luna pleading quietly.

With a shuddering breath, everything snapped back into clarity and rushed into real time. Ginny bit down on her lip hard as she finally let Luna usher her away. She felt the blonde leading her through the maze of people and out into the street.

Once the noise from the tavern was a mere buzz in the distance, Luna stopped and turned to face Ginny, placing her arms on the redhead's to steady and balance her.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered.

Ginny was staring vacantly at the ground behind Luna as her mind tried to chug through what just happened.

"Did you know?" She finally said as her eyes met Luna's for the first time.

The Ravenclaw shook her head reluctantly. "No. I mean, I saw them at school when we were there, but it wasn't like this."

"How long has this been going on?" Ginny asked in a frail voice that made a small part of her twinge in irritation.

"I have no idea...," Luna said slowly, seeming to analyze the situation. "I would think it must be recent though. I don't know, I don't think anyone knew."

The dull numbness that Ginny had been granted was swept away with a wave of anger. She tried to stop herself, but she exploded regardless. "How could nobody know! What about Harry? Someone must have known!"

Luna took a step back, but her expression remained calm and her voice was steady. "I don't think she told anyone, Ginny," she repeated. "And Ginny," she said gently, "even if you had known...you can't change it."

Luna's words felt like a slap across the face and Ginny stiffened. She clenched her jaw hard, trying to push down the emotions that were threatening to explode once more. Luna patiently waited as Ginny settled.

A ripple of anger coursed through Ginny once more as she felt tears coming. She bit down harder and clenched her fists. She sniffled, hating herself for it, but managed to hold everything else back. The tension in her body felt like it could cause her to implode, it was as if anything jostled her in any way it'd set her off and she didn't want to know what she'd do.

She sniffled angrily once more. "That bi-," the word was about to spit out of her like acid, but she stopped herself. With a seething breath she continued on. "How could she? She knows how I feel!" Luna winced at her words, but didn't respond. Ginny charged on. "She's probably been laughing at me this whole time. So incredibly pathetic; in love with her for years. But I don't matter, do I? No."

"Ginny-" Luna started.

"You don't know what it was like!" Ginny nearly yelled, her voice wavering with emotion. "You don't know how it was between us. We were so close at times...it felt...I just always thought it never went further because she was into guys. But," Ginny laughed bitterly, "I guess not." Ginny stewed for a moment and Luna was about to speak, but she cut her off once more. "I guess I just wasn't good enough for her." Her words were meant to sound mocking, but she knew that Luna could easily see through them.

"Ginny, calm down," Luna urged gently. Ginny sent a harsh glare her way, but managed to stop the hurtful words that threatened to come out of her mouth. "I can only imagine how terrible this is for you," Luna continued softly, causing tears to threaten Ginny once more, "but please don't say those things about yourself."

Ginny continued to give Luna a hard stare.

"Try to see things from Hermione's point of view," Luna said. "You were with Demelza for a long time, maybe she got the wrong idea about things."

"It's not like I didn't tell Hermione how I felt," Ginny whispered in a harsh voice. "I told her one night and she rejected me completely. That's why I dated Demelza."

Luna nodded slowly, trying to process the situation in her head. "Well, all I can say is be patient."

"Patient?" Ginny asked, her voice growing oddly shrill.

"I can't explain," Luna stated, her demeanour returning to normal, "but you need to be patient with Hermione."

"What the-" Ginny started, but cut herself off when she Luna gave her a very serious look. "What do you know?" She asked slowly, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at Luna.

"Not any more than you do," Luna promised. "Hermione's very private-" Ginny scoffed. "-but if you do truly love her, then you just have to accept whatever Hermione's emotions are and be supportive. I know it's far from easy though. I just have this feeling that there have been a lot of...misunderstandings and confusion. Please don't do anything rash."

Ginny grumbled and folded her arms tightly across her chest. Just the thought of Hermione and Mandy made her sick. As much as she hated it, Luna did have a point that if Mandy was who Hermione chose, then she would have to be supportive. What else could she really do anyway? She loved Hermione and she needed her in her life, even if friends were all they'd ever be. Deep down she knew she'd just suffer through a strained friendship and try to play nice, but for now, she just had to be mad.

Luna eventually guided them over to a set of steps and they sat in silence together. Luna provided a calming presence as Ginny tried to digest everything that was going on and what would come. There was no way she was going back into the tavern – not with those two in there. Ginny sighed dramatically, drawing a curious look from Luna, as it dawned on her that Hermione was staying at the Burrow with them until they returned to Hogwarts. She just rested her head in hands. "_I can't deal with this..._"

Sometime later, Luna and Ginny's attention was brought to the Leaky Cauldron as the door swung open and two figures stepped out. Ginny swallowed hard as Hermione and Mandy came into focus. Half of her wanted to swat Luna's hand away as it came to rest on her knee, but she was mostly thankful for the comforting gesture.

A rush of disdain flowed through Ginny as she felt a faint whimper form in her throat upon seeing the two girls beginning to walk away down the street together. Ginny had to thank her lucky stars, though, because it seemed that the girls hadn't spotted them. She couldn't bear seeing Hermione look down on her in pity – not right now.

Ginny's attention was drawn away from the girls when she felt Luna's grip on her leg tighten just so. She looked at the blonde, but quickly diverted her attention to the door of the Cauldron as it opened once more to reveal Draco, Crabbe and Goyle exiting the tavern.

Her instincts flared up as she caught sight of Draco sharing a look with his goons and nodding in Hermione's direction. Ginny quietly stood and trailed a ways back behind the trio, staying close to the wall, as they walked briskly towards the girls. She paused, slightly confused, as the Slytherins walked right past Hermione and Mandy. Just as Ginny was about to turn back around, Draco spun on his heel and stopped abruptly in front of the two girls.

"Well, what do we have here?" Draco drawled as he, Crabbe and Goyle blocked their way and herded them against the wall of a closed shop.

"Excuse us, Draco," Hermione said acidly as she stared down Malfoy.

"Where are you two off to?" He asked in a teasing tone that was dripping with malice.

"None of your business," Hermione snapped. "Now get out of our way." She tried to barge past him, but was blocked once more by the three who were easily heads taller than her.

"You sure you're not off to do dirty things with one another? Did you do it in the Restricted section of the library yet?" Malfoy laughed as he looked to Crabbe and Goyle with a very pleased look on his face.

"Back off, Malfoy," Hermione spat as she tried to go around him, pulling Mandy with her, but the three stopped their escape. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself, you're a prefect! You ought to have a little respect for others, but I guess I shouldn't hope for miracles."

"I could never respect a Mudblood. And a dirty dyke Mudblood at that," Malfoy said with a scoff that was unmistakably cut short.

With a cry of pain escaping from his mouth, Ginny slammed Draco against the stone wall of the shop, face first. Despite the rage and other copious emotions rampaging through Ginny's veins at the moment, she was still much attuned to Hermione's voice crying her name in alarm.

"What was that?" Ginny asked in a severe whisper as she held Draco against the wall, giving him another shove for good measure.

"Watch out!" Ginny heard Hermione yell. The redhead turned her head just in time to see Crabbe and Goyle charging at her. She refused to let go of Malfoy and braced herself for impact with a wince. Eyes held shut for a few moments, Ginny eventually let them flutter open when she heard two loud thuds. She looked out and saw Luna with her wand pointed straight at her. Upon looking down, Ginny took in the sight of Goyle and Crabbe lying in full body binds at her feet. Still in her grasp, she heard Malfoy whimper. Giving Luna a quick nod of thanks, Ginny returned her attention to the human-sized rat that she held in her grips.

"Apologize," Ginny instructed as she pressed Malfoy further against the wall, ignoring the group of curious and bewildered onlookers that had gathered around them.

"My father will have you expelled from Hogwarts for this," Malfoy threatened through gritted teeth.

"Apologize," Ginny said more urgently as she pushed him hard once more.

"Ginny, let him go, you're already in a lot of troub-"

"No!" Ginny yelled, cutting off Hermione's plea. "He bullied you physically and verbally and you want me to let him go? No."

Ginny could feel herself begin to shake with anger at just the recollection of Draco's treatment of Hermione and Mandy just a moment ago. The way he treated them was completely unacceptable and someone had to teach him a lesson; one he'd remember. If it was up to Ginny, then so be it – plus it didn't hurt that this physical aggression really helped release a lot of Ginny's other pent up frustration and stress.

"Fine! I'm sorry," Draco begrudgingly said.

Ginny contemplated making him say it again with a bit more sincerity, but decided to let it go. After a moment longer, she released her hold on him and backed away, careful to not step on either Crabbe or Goyle's incapacitated bodies.

Draco rounded on Ginny, rubbing the side of his face and shoulder, eying her darkly. "They should have expelled you a long time ago. You're a menace! You Weasleys are the lowest dirt in the Wizarding world. Go back to the shoebox you came from!"

Ginny stilled herself, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. She just looked at him evenly with her arms crossed against her. Her facade nearly cracked with a laugh when she saw the frustration in him become visible.

The redhead's senses heightened as he turned his head to look at Hermione.

"You won't always have Weasley here to watch your back. You better watch it...filthy dy-"

Before Malfoy had a chance to finish his sentence, Ginny felt a sharp pain in her hand as her fist instinctively shot out and clocked Malfoy right across the face.

There was a collective gasp from the group and then an eruption of murmurs and exclamations after a moment of stillness.

Ginny wasn't able to sort much out of the chaos that ensued, other than her hand hurt, Draco was on the ground, unmoving, and Mandy was pressed up against Hermione and both girls looked uneasy.

Lucidity rained down hard on the younger girl as she heard a pop and a loud voice booming down the alley.

"What's going on?" The gravelly voice demanded.

Ginny didn't need to turn around to know that it was Moody.

"Got an alert at the office about," he paused as he looked down and a smirk crossed his jagged features, "body-binds."

"Malfoy," he continued. "Should've known he'd be involved somehow. And if somebody deserves it, it'd probably be him." Moody leaned down a bit over Draco's unconscious body and laughed when he saw the bruise that was already forming around the boy's eye. "I guess body-binds for those two knuckleheads and a good old fashioned black eye for Mr. Malfoy." Ginny blushed and hid her hands behind her back as she felt his magical eye upon her.

Suddenly a letter swooped in and stopped in front of Luna. No one needed an explanation to know that it was a warning about underage magic use.

Before Luna could reach out and grab the letter, Moody snatched it out of the air and ripped it in half in one swift motion.

"We usually just send a letter of warning, but I like to investigate things for myself and see if the warning is...warranted." Luna gave him a small nod. "I always knew Potter would do well for himself," he said with a wink of his good eye, which Ginny found to be a really odd sight.

Before anyone could say anything more, Moody gave a flick of his wand and all three boys were levitated off of the ground. "I'll deal with these troublemakers," he assured them. "They'll be back to their miserable selves in no time. Nothing a little memory charm won't fix." He gave a lingering look between Ginny and Hermione, causing both of them to fidget. "You take care, now."

"Thank you, Mr. Moody," Ginny said as confidently as possible and gave him a nod.

With a pop he disapparated and all four girls let out relieved sighs.

"That was a close one," Mandy muttered as she glanced nervously among them. All of them nodded, but nobody knew quite what to say.

"Thanks, Luna," Ginny finally said. "I owe you."

Ginny looked to Hermione, who stood tensely, watching her cautiously. "Hope you're okay," Ginny said. Not waiting for a response, Ginny stalked off towards the floo network. Once she was out of view, she broke out into a run and entered the first free fireplace.

"The Burrow!"

**AN**: _A.R. Van Halleorg_, you completely called me out on this one lol. I know everyone must have lots of questions right now, and they will most likely all be answered in the next chapter. I'd also like to apologize to those who felt I went too fast with the last chapter, and potentially this. It was a strategic decision, but I fully understand your disappointment as there are a number of things I could've done with the story in those skipped time-spans and it is a shift from how the rest of the story has unfolded. So, I appreciate your understanding and for sticking with me. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Ginny lay still on her bed in her darkened room, eyes staring blankly at the ceiling, her ears listening for the fall of footsteps she was dreading to hear. In time, she heard soft, hesitant steps coming up the stairs and she closed her eyes, wishing with all her might that she was somewhere else.

Slowly, the door creaked open and light from the hall filtered into the room. The steps paused in the doorway before starting up again and stopping in the middle of the room.

"Ginny?" Hermione's soft voice filled the redhead's ears. She chose not to respond.

"Ginny?" Hermione tried again. "Are you awake?" No response. "It's dark in here," she said as Ginny heard her moving towards the lantern.

"Don't," Ginny commanded. She heard Hermione hesitate, but soon a soft light filled the room.

"Just a little bit," the older girl compromised before shutting the door.

Ginny's eyes remained closed, but draped her left arm across her eyes anyway to further block out the light.

"Are you alright?" Ginny heard Hermione ask. The girl's voice was so much more unsure than Ginny recalled it being. Eventually, Ginny gave a tiny nod.

Hermione must have been encouraged by the response, because suddenly she was crossing the room to Ginny's bed. Ginny tensed up automatically, but willed her body not to move or react.

"Your hand...," Hermione trailed off.

Panic shot through Ginny's body as she felt Hermione gingerly grasp her injured hand and tentatively sit down on the bed.

"It's fine," Ginny mumbled as she pulled her hand out of Hermione's much slower than she intended. Though it hurt to have Hermione hold her hand, for more reasons than one, she couldn't ignore how much she craved the touch of the older girl.

"Why did you do it?" Hermione asked, her voice gentle, and unlike the harsh questioning Ginny had been anticipating.

"You know I hate him," Ginny answered, still refusing to open her eyes.

"You could've gotten into a lot of trouble," Hermione said quietly.

"I don't care."

"What's wrong, Ginny?" Hermione asked, the warmth in her voice making Ginny sick to her stomach. "Why did you take off earlier today at the Cauldron?"

The young Weasley couldn't stop herself from letting out a bitter laugh. She felt Hermione shift slightly on the bed and could just imagine the perplexed look she was probably giving her now.

"So how was your summer?" Ginny asked suddenly, probably injecting more confusion into the brunette.

"Um, I-it was fine. What does that have to do with today?"

"We didn't really talk much over the summer," Ginny explained. "I clearly don't know what's going on in your life anymore."

The brunette fell silent. Ginny waited for a response, but with every passing second of silence she felt her dormant anger begin to rise.

"So, how long have you two been together?" Ginny asked, not bothering anymore with beating around the bush.

A pause. "A little over a month. Just before I left for Switzerland," Hermione replied evenly in such a manner that she could've been listing off an arthimancy formula.

Ginny nodded, soft light flashing over her eyes as her head moved from under her arm. "Are you happy?" She realized how blunt she was being, but frankly, she didn't really care right now.

Another pause. "Yes. She's a nice girl. She's sweet."

Ginny nodded and squeezed her eyes shut even tighter, hating the wetness of her tears that were trying to escape.

"How are you and Demelza? You were there so briefly today, I didn't get a chance to see you two together," Hermione stated.

"That's because we're **not** together," Ginny retorted.

"Sorry, what?" Hermione sputtered.

Ginny sniggered lightly. "Yeah, I broke up with her earlier this summer."

"Well, I, oh, are you – are you okay?" Hermione asked, still clearly in shock.

Ginny nodded with a laugh. "Yeah. Fine."

"Oh, wow, I didn't know about...well, wait-" Ginny could feel Hermione's eyes intently on her. "-**you** broke up with **her**?"

"Yes," Ginny replied, certain that the offense she took to the question seeped into her response.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Hermione said. Ginny could feel Hermione fidgeting uncomfortably, and the younger girl urged herself to wait patiently for the brunette to speak again. "I'm sorry. I just-I don't understand. I thought you were in love with her," she asserted, her voice rising. "And you clearly aren't okay."

"She's a sweet, funny, smart girl, who shared the same interests as me, but no, I was not in love with her," Ginny explained flatly.

"But you guys were together for months," Hermione argued, her voice sharp. "You-"

"I didn't love her, okay?" Ginny snapped as she sat up and looked at Hermione for the first time since she'd entered the room. "I never felt that way about her. And I'm a jerk for staying with her for that long knowing that I didn't feel that way, but," Ginny struggled to find the right words without outing herself completely to Hermione once more – she felt too vulnerable as is. "Whatever, doesn't matter. Bottom line, her and I aren't together anymore and I'm fine with it."

Now done with her rant, Ginny lay back once more and stared up at the ceiling. She startled as Hermione's voice cut through her thoughts in a harsh, accusatory whisper.

"Why didn't you tell me."

"What." Ginny snapped as she flicked her gaze towards Hermione, who she now saw was teeming with restrained tension. Her lips were pursed, her shoulders were taught, and her hands were clasped tightly together.

"Why didn't you tell me," Hermione repeated, a bit slower this time, but just as intense.

"I don't know," Ginny shrugged, trying to comprehend why the brunette was so cross. "You were away, our letters were short, I didn't feel it was essential to mention at the time. Thought I'd wait until you got back. What does it matter?"

Hermione's look of irritation was slowly overtaken with a look resembling worry. Ginny eyed the girl whose eyes seemed to lose focus and brows furrowed together.

"And who are you to question?" Ginny shot as she sat up again to stare down the brunette. "You didn't tell me anything about Mandy. Not a word." She wasn't entirely sure where this questioning was going between the two of them, but the window of opportunity was open.

"I don't have to tell you anything, Ginny," Hermione retorted, staring back defiantly. "And you weren't exactly forthcoming about Demelza when that first started, now were you?"

"What the Hell are you talking about," Ginny snapped. Her tempestuous mood grew as she recalled being rejected by Hermione and falling into Demelza's waiting arms as a way of hiding her pain. It was humiliating, knowing that every time Hermione saw her and Demelza, that the brunette knew it was a lie. "Humiliating, wasn't it?"

The brunette bristled. "Yes, extremely humiliating."

Ginny shot a fierce look at Hermione, not believing that the girl just confirmed that. "Well, thank you, Hermione. Thanks very much."

"No, thank **you**, Ginny. Good night."

Ginny turned on her side, not bothering to watch Hermione leave the room. She shook her head.

"_What the Hell just happened..._"

It took a very long time, but eventually Ginny found herself falling asleep. At no point did she recall Hermione returning to their room.

* * *

_**Hermione POV**_

Hermione blinked reluctantly as bright light streamed in from outside. She looked around the unfamiliar room in a daze and the events from last night flooded her mind.

She and Ginny had fought and after that particular fight, Hermione refused to share a room with the girl. Nor did she think that Ginny wanted her to return. She went downstairs and set up camp on the couch, but Mrs. Weasley insisted that she takes the twins' old room for the night and had benevolently not questioned her on why she refused to stay with Ginny or why she was sniffling, her eyes puffy and red.

God, what a night. Hermione swung her feet over the edge of the bed and hung her head, closing her eyes once more. She thought that she had finally sorted things out between her and Ginny, but clearly her research had been incomplete and her solution turned out to be entirely wrong.

After seeing Ginny and Demelza together for the remainder of the school year, Hermione had finally decided that it was her time to move on. That's where Mandy came in. Over the past few months they had grown fairly close, seeing as they both spent excessive amounts of time studying, they had much to bond over. Mandy was studious, quiet, and even wanted to work at the Ministry. She was indifferent to quidditch, and sweet. Taking her own advice to date someone her 'type', and seeing as how Ginny had been caught up in Demelza, Hermione struck up a relationship with Mandy shortly after holidays had started.

Upon reflection, Hermione reluctantly came to the conclusion that this is probably how Ginny felt in some regard towards Demelza. It should work, but for some unknown reason, it just wasn't. Well, "some reason" for Hermione was "some Weasley" named Ginny. Just the thought of the redhead made the brunette's heart fill with longing.

This new development with Ginny no longer being with Demelza threw Hermione for a loop; she didn't know what to do. A part of her was ecstatic to discover that the two split up, despite how complicated that made her situation with Mandy. Hermione realized, though, that she had to confirm where Ginny stood regarding her. The redhead had been so antagonistic towards her last night, despite saving her and Mandy earlier that day in Daigon Alley. When Ginny had come out of nowhere and put Draco in his place, Hermione wanted nothing more than to throw her arms around Ginny, but sadly, things weren't that simple.

"_Humiliating, wasn't it?"_

Hermione gripped the side of the bed in anger as she recalled Ginny taunting her about what happened earlier in the year regarding Demelza. She couldn't believe that the girl said that. With a sigh, Hermione attempted to expel the hurt – holding onto it wouldn't make things better. She'd just ignore it...for now.

Heaving another sigh, Hermione rose from the bed and crossed the room to gather up a change of clothes. After a short trip to the bathroom, the brunette padded downstairs. She hesitantly took the last few steps down to the dining room and cautiously peered out. She exhaled quietly when she saw that nobody was there. Other than the fact that it was the Weasley residence and there was always someone around, upon looking at her watch, Hermione realized how truly odd it was that no one was around considering the time.

She crossed the room to the front door and saw that Ginny's shoes were gone. Hermione's stomach dropped, thinking about what must be going through Ginny's mind right now. Hermione looked up at the Weasley family clock and Ginny's hand indicated that she was at work. Mrs. Weasley was home, but apparently not in the dining room or kitchen.

Hermione retreated to the kitchen and helped herself to a cup of juice. On her way back to the dining room she picked up a copy of the Daily Prophet and settled herself at the table. After breakfast she'd go to Daigon Alley to find Ginny.

A few pages in, Hermione's ears perk up as she heard the fire in the living room roar with new life. Hermione looked up at the clock and saw Ginny's hand shifting from work to home. Strange at it seemed that Ginny would be returning so early in the morning, Hermione didn't have time to question things further before Ginny came into the room. The young girl paused, presumably at seeing Hermione at the table, before clearing her throat.

"Morning, Hermione," she said with a trace of uncertainty.

"Good morning, Ginny," Hermione greeted in a light tone as she attempted to assure Ginny that yesterday's fight was not on her mind without explicitly stating so.

Hermione looked to Ginny as the girl came towards the opposite side of the table. The brunette idly noted that Ginny had a book tucked under her arm. Hermione smiled at her, receiving a tentative smile in return.

"Did you sleep okay?" The older girl asked.

"Fine," Ginny answered as she pulled up a seat. "Yourself?"

"About the same."

"Um, where did you sleep last night?" Ginny asked as her eyes flitted away. "I'm sorry about last night, by the way. I didn't mean to chase you out of the room."

"Don't worry, I shouldn't have interrogated you. And I slept in the twins' room."

Ginny gave a curt nod of understanding and seemed to fall into her thoughts. Hermione took a few sips of her drink, keeping a watchful eye on Ginny, deciding not to force her into conversation.

"Um," Ginny said as she sat up in her chair and eventually brought her gaze up to meet Hermione's. "I went to the shop today," she explained. "I spent a lot of time upstairs there on my breaks over summer. I had some spare time, so um, I thought I'd do something productive," she said as she pulled the book out of her lap and set it on the table.

The book was black and leather-bound. Unlike most of the books they dealt with that were old and worn, this book looked very new. When Hermione returned her eyes from the book to Ginny, she saw that the redhead was biting her lip and looking very apprehensive.

"It's for you," Ginny announced as she pushed the book across the table. "I was going to give it to you later, but, I don't know, I just felt like giving it to you today instead."

Hermione tentatively reached out to take the book, pondering what the occasion was that had earned her a gift, and opened it. It was blank. The brunette looked up at Ginny quizzically to find the redhead holding out a quill and bottle of ink. She gestured for Hermione to take them.

"Open it to the first page," Ginny instructed, "and write 'house-elves'."

Hermione wordlessly picked up the quill and did as she was told, entirely unsure of what to expect.

"Oh," she exclaimed in a hushed voice as the words she wrote disappeared. Suddenly line after line after line began to appear on the previously blank page. As Hermione read the words, she saw that the book was listing off titles of other books along with summaries. She quickly noticed that all the books related to house-elves.

"Ginny, wha-"

"Put a check mark next to the first title," Ginny said.

Hermione felt excitement build and she smiled at the redhead with a nod as she checked off 'House-Elves of the 1500s'.

The writing disappeared once more and when it reappeared Hermione gasped as the book suddenly went from about a hundred pages to at least three hundred. She flipped through the book and saw that it was just as if she picked the original off of the shelf in the library.

"Ginny, this is amazing," Hermione breathed.

"There's more," Ginny said with a small, somewhat reluctant smile. "Underline any word or sentence." Hermione did so. "Okay, flip to a different page and underline something else." Hermione did. "Okay, now take your wand, tap the page and say 'Referencia'."

Hermione fished out her wand and tapped the page saying the incantation. The page went blank and the book thinned. She looked to Ginny for further instruction.

"Go to the front page."

When Hermione opened the book to the first page, she saw the title of the book she had just selected was now a heading and the two sections she had underlined were now previewed.

"It's like a bookmark," Ginny explained. "Just put a check next to the section you want to read, or cross it out if you want to get rid of it. It'll store as many 'bookmarks' from as many books as you like."

"Ginny, I can't believe this. This is astounding! How many charms, **which** charms did you use?" Hermione asked in total bewilderment. If she had been impressed with the bag Ginny had given her months ago, this book just took things to an entirely new level. The brunette was amazed with not just Ginny's spellwork, but also her creativity. She couldn't help but beam at Ginny.

"A lot," the redhead answered. "So...do you like it? I know it's a year away, but I thought it'd be really helpful when you're at the Ministry and working on a proposal or working through legislation or something," she said with a faint smile.

"I don't know what to say," Hermione laughed. "It's amazing, Ginny. I love it," she said as she got up and rushed to the other side of the table to throw her arms around the redhead.

She did her best to ignore the warm feeling that grew inside of her as she felt Ginny stand and return the hug. After a few moments, Hermione noted that she should pull away, that a normal hug would've ended by now, but she didn't feel Ginny breaking the hug and she couldn't seem to will herself to move either. A few more beats passed and they weren't hugging anymore, Hermione realized, they were holding each other.

An image of Mandy flashed through Hermione's mind as she was about to tuck her head into the crook of Ginny's neck – the smell of Ginny's shampoo thrilling her senses.

Hermione cleared her throat and pulled away from Ginny, cursing herself for letting her hands linger on Ginny's narrow waist as she stepped away.

"Um, thank you, Ginny," she said, breathing even and steady breaths to calm herself.

"I'm glad you like it," Ginny replied softly, taking a step back.

"I can't believe you made this for me," Hermione said as she turned the book over in her hands, examining it in wonder. "It must've taken ages."

Ginny shrugged. "Well, I won't say I pulled it off in a day, but I don't mind. Consider it an early birthday present," she said with a small smile. "Just don't forget about me when you have your big Ministry job and I'm still rotting away in Hogwarts," she said, tacking on a light laugh.

"I could never forget you, Gin," Hermione promised quietly before she could think to say anything else. Hermione knew that she shouldn't say anything more, but the opportunity was undeniable. "Don't forget about me either," she added while offering Ginny a wry smirk. The smirk was short-lived as Ginny looked at her solemnly, not cracking a joke as she'd expected.

"I could never, ever forget you, Hermione. I know that for a fact. And I hope there's never a time when we aren't friends. I know I'll always do all I can to keep you in my life."

Hermione had trouble recalling too many times when she had seen Ginny like this. She didn't know how to react to Ginny's earnest mood, but knew she had to ignore the rapid beating of her heart.

"Gin, please don't worry, we'll always be friends," Hermione laughed softly.

Ginny cast her eyes downward briefly and nodded, before looking into Hermione's eyes, the intensity in the redhead's eyes nearly causing Hermione's breath to catch. "You'll always be in my heart."

Unable to think, Hermione's body took charge and she found herself reaching out for Ginny. A fierce pang of hurt shot through her when Ginny pulled away from her touch as if burned by the contact.

"Sorry," Ginny whispered, visibly trying to steady herself and her voice. "I hope you like the gift. I should go."

Hermione was about to protest when Ginny leaned in and gave her a fleeting kiss on the cheek before turning to leave.

"Sorry," Ginny apologized again in a strained whisper and began to back away. The pain that flashed through her eyes was plainly evident to Hermione and she refused to let the girl leave like this.

"Wait," she urged as she placed her hand on Ginny's arm again, thankful that the redhead didn't pull away this time, though she still looked cautious.

Hermione stared into Ginny's eyes for a few moments, trying to formulate what to say. Eventually her eyes fell upon Ginny's bruised hand.

"Your hand," she nodded towards it, "you're still hurt," she noted softly as she gently pulled Ginny's hand up into clearer view. "Come," she instructed as she pulled a reluctant Ginny towards the couch in front of the fireplace.

Hermione's heart was racing as she pulled Ginny's hand towards her and rest it in her lap. The redhead was very still as Hermione traced her fingers along the back of Ginny's injured hand.

"Uh, it's-it's fine," Ginny stuttered.

"Where does your mom keep the Bruise Removal Paste?" Hermione asked without acknowledging Ginny's assertions.

"Third cupboard on the right in the kitchen," Ginny said in a sort of resigned voice as she pointed in that direction with her free hand.

"I'll be right back," Hermione smiled as she released Ginny's hand and strode into the kitchen.

After some minor searching, Hermione returned to Ginny with a tube of the twins' Bruise Removal Paste. They sat in silence as Hermione tenderly smoothed some of the yellow paste onto Ginny's injured hand.

"_For_ _g__oodness sake_," Hermione thought. "_I'm just putting some sort of ointment on her hand and it gives me more butterflies than when I actually kiss Mandy._"

"Well, that should do it," Hermione finally said as she looked up to Ginny and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Thanks," Ginny said in a hoarse voice.

"Not a problem," Hermione said. "You wouldn't even have this bruise to begin with if it wasn't for me."

"What?" Ginny asked bewildered as she made eye contact with the brunette. "It's not your fault. I'm the one who lost it."

Hermione shook her head resolutely. "I should've stopped you or I should've just ignored Malfoy."

"You **did** try to stop me, and you **did** try to ignore Malfoy. He's a prat. Got what he deserved," Ginny stated as she stood, her hand leaving Hermione's in a hurry.

"Still...," Hermione relented just slightly, following the restless redhead with her eyes and trying to ignore how much she missed the feel of Ginny's hand. "I-I want to thank you for what you did. You know I don't like violence, but I appreciate what you did for me...and Mandy."

Ginny's footsteps paused for just a fraction before she mumbled a brief acceptance.

The room was quiet and though Hermione cleared her throat, she didn't move to leave. She clasped her hands in her lap and fidgeted for a moment. Ginny kicked absently at the hardwood floor. Both girls neither looked at nor spoke to one another for several moments more and the tension between the two became palpable.

Hermione was about to speak when she heard the front door open and close.

"Hermione? Are you awake?" Mrs. Weasley called from the entrance.

Ginny and Hermione shared a look before Hermione spoke up, "Yes, Mrs. Weasley. I'm in the living room with Ginny."

"Oh good, you're home, Gin. I was surprised when I saw you were at work," Mrs. Weasley said as she walked into the room and greeted both girls with a smile.

"Yeah, just stopped by to grab something," Ginny explained in a low voice as her gaze shifted to the corner of the room.

"Alright, then. Oh, here you are, Hermione, this just arrived," Mrs. Weasley said as she held out a letter.

It didn't take more than a glance for Hermione to see that the writing on the envelope belonged to Mandy. A feeling of overwhelming dread filled Hermione's chest as she reluctantly took the letter, afraid to look in Ginny's direction.

"Thanks," she said quietly as set the letter down next to her on the cushion.

"I'm about to make some tea, did you girls want any?" Mrs. Weasley offered as she began to walk toward the kitchen.

Hermione was about to respond when harsh footsteps echoed in her ear. She winced involuntarily as the front door slammed shut.

"What in Merlin's name...Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley bellowed as she stormed towards the door, clearly furious.

"Wait," Hermione pleaded as she shot off of the couch and rushed to block Mrs. Weasley's path, however ill-advised the action was.

"What – excuse me, Hermione. I didn't raise my child to stomp off and slam doors, especially in front of a guest," she exclaimed, though the brunette got the sense that Mrs. Weasley was trying very hard to tone herself down.

"I'll go after her," Hermione promised as she put a reassuring hand on Mrs. Weasley's arm, which was stiff with tension.

Mrs. Weasley eyed Hermione for a few intense seconds before finally relaxing. "Okay, go on, then. She'll probably take kinder to you than to me, anyhow. You seem to have a way of calming her down." Hermione tried to keep her laugh from edging over into one of irony. "And you tell her that she better not slam my doors anymore."

"Yes, Mrs. Weasley, I will," Hermione promised before quickly throwing on her shoes and heading outside.

**AN:** Thank you again to everyone for staying tuned and being patient. Your patience will be rewarded, I promise :p So, dual POV this time. I just had to include exerts from both Ginny and Hermione's side of things after last chapter's events. I hope everyone is getting some time off from school/work/whatever the case may be, and relaxing. Best wishes to everyone during the holiday season.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Ginny walked purposefully toward the shed around the back of the house, yanking open the door when she finally reached it. She impatiently dug through the contents until she reached the old broom in the back. This thing was ancient, used to be Charlie's, but her own broom was upstairs and she didn't fancy having to go back into the house to grab it. With a sharp tug, she pulled the broom out and slammed the door of the shed shut.

She climbed onto the broom and shot upwards as fast as the broom could take her. The wind was cold on her skin at this speed, but she didn't care. In fact, it was a nice distraction from how she felt inside. She didn't understand how she could feel so hollow, yet be in so much pain.

Ginny climbed higher until the Burrow looked like a miniature model of a real house. She evened out her broom and circled high above the ground. It was so far down. Ginny felt so disconnected that it almost felt like if she let go now, she'd just float back to the ground. But, floating is not what she wanted to do right now. She flew a bit away from the house, knowing her mother would forever ban her from flying if she saw what she was about to do.

With a small breath, Ginny gripped the broom firmly and pushed down hard. She nosedived, rapidly gaining speed and the details of the ground and her surroundings came into focus exceedingly fast. The wind whipped through Ginny's hair and it stung her face and eyes, but she forged on. A spot in the back of her mind sparked, telling her to pull up on the broom now – NOW.

With slight hesitation, Ginny yanked up on the broom and her descent nearly slammed to a stop, jolting her body heavily. Adrenaline charged through her body as she coasted along, her feet grazing the ground. She vaguely noted that if she had pulled up any later she'd have been facing much more than a bruised hand.

Just the recollection of her hand and the events surrounding the recent injury threw Ginny into greater upset. Well, she had given Hermione her gift and she had finally gotten to kiss her, in some way at least. However, in all of Ginny's reveries, she had never planned for their first kiss, if you could call it that, to be a kiss goodbye. But, it would just have to be good enough. Hermione had been much more accepting of Ginny this time around, not hissing at her or telling her to leave, but it didn't change the fact that Hermione wasn't hers.

A small, empty smile crossed Ginny's face as she eyed the trees at the far end of the field. She leaned forward and rocketed towards them, still hovering just slightly above the ground – a less experienced flyer would have crashed by now at these speeds.

She pulled up sharply less than ten or fifteen feet from the wall of trees. Exhilaration flooded her system as she heard the leaves rustling as she passed. She reached out with one hand and confirmed that she had only left about a foot as a buffer between her and the branches.

She continued to fly straight up, enjoying the element of danger. She wasn't trying to hurt herself - she just wanted to feel anything other than a sense of loss, betrayal and that horrible feeling of defeat, of giving up.

Ginny climbed a bit higher than the first time and circled once more. With a deep breath, she shot downward. This time, partway down she carefully took her hands off of the broom, just barely. The broom was lifted upward by the wind resistance and if Ginny had not kept her hands just above the handle, it would've shot up and out from under her. She quickly gripped the handle again and steadied herself – she was coming in fast. She pulled up and evened out inches above the ground, but this time she retained a good amount of speed from her descent, unlike last time.

She looped around and eventually slowed just enough for her to leap off of her broom and onto the ground. Though she didn't fall, she stumbled several feet, the residual speed throwing her forward despite preparing herself for the landing. She watched indifferently as the broom caught the ground and flipped violently forward multiple times until it lost momentum and lay dirtied and possibly splintered on the ground.

She walked listlessly towards her broom and picked it off the ground to examine it. Sure enough, it was damaged, but still usable and nothing that 'Reparo' couldn't fix. She'd get Ron to fix it later.

With a sigh, Ginny turned and went to head inside. She could've flown, but she was in no real rush. She only took a few steps when something, rather someone, caught her eye. She was still quite a ways away from the Burrow and couldn't see the figure clearly, but she knew it was Hermione. Ginny came out here to get away from her, but now, here she was. After a short inner debate, Ginny decided to keep walking towards the brunette.

A short while later, Ginny came to a stop in front of Hermione, making sure to leave several feet of space between them, not wanting to get too close. She finally took a good look at Hermione, having been more interested in looking at the ground prior, and saw that the girl had tears in her eyes. Ginny was taken aback, and automatically set her broom down and moved closer to Hermione. She stopped herself, though, before she could make contact and instead stood before the girl who was quietly sniffling. Ginny wanted to close the space between them and pull Hermione into her arms, but refrained.

"_Not mine to hold,_" Ginny reminded herself. She steeled her emotions.

"What's wrong?" Her question came out sounding harsh and irritated.

She was struck with fear as Hermione suddenly looked like she was about to double over. With silent relief, Ginny saw Hermione pull herself back from the brink. The brunette bit her lip and stared at the ground with a look of intense concentration. Eventually she spoke, her voice so quiet that Ginny barely heard it.

"So much."

Ginny snorted and crossed her arms. "Just a little dramatic, don't you think?" She knew she was being cruel, but it was all she could do not crack and give in to what her feelings for Hermione would have her do.

Hermione shot Ginny a fierce glare that faltered and nearly turned to tears, forcing the brunette to look away again as she tried to rein in her emotions.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" Ginny repeated – her voice considerably softer this time around.

Hermione sniffled and wiped away a tear before responding, "I just can't stand to see you so upset, Ginny. What you were doing out there," she gestured to the field, "it was so...I-I've never seen you like that. I hate this. You're my best friend...I just-I can't stand it."

The younger witch nearly flinched at the word 'friend'. How could 'friend' have become such a nasty thing?

She laughed lightly – bitterly – in a half-hearted attempt to ease the tension. "I don't know, Mione. From where I'm standing it looks like you're the one who's upset. And if you can't stand it then I'll just make it easy for you and leave." Ginny purposely hesitated, waiting, hoping, for Hermione to stop her. The brunette shot a severe glare towards her, sufficiently stopping the younger girl in her tracks.

"That's **not** what I meant and you **know **it! I need to talk to you, or do you not want to?" Hermione snapped.

"I'm sorry. I just-look, I'm sorry. Let's talk," Ginny interjected, her eyes quietly pleading with Hermione.

Hermione's mouth was set in a tight line and there was still anger in her eyes, but it had subdued.

"Are you going to be nice?" She finally asked.

Ginny let out the slightest laugh and answered, "Yes."

"And discuss things with me maturely?"

"Yes," Ginny laughed once more.

Both girls cracked the smallest of grins, though it didn't reach either's eyes.

"Okay," Hermione continued, "I suppose we can talk then." Ginny nodded.

A silenced drifted in and hung over the two girls as they struggled with how to start their conversation. Hermione spoke first.

"Ginny, please tell me what's bothering you," she said. Her eyes were soft and the look that she gave Ginny made the redhead just want to give in. Instead, Ginny just shook her head in resigned defeat.

"Nothing. It'll be fine," she replied while offering Hermione a faint smile. In the back of her mind, she nearly laughed at how much effort it took to not let her smile falter.

"Don't give me that," Hermione said mildly, though there was no mistaking the underlying authority in her voice.

"Honestly," Ginny insisted as she crossed her arms. "It's nothing. I just didn't sleep well."

The way Hermione's eyes flashed knowingly wasn't lost on the younger girl. Before Hermione could have a chance to retort, though, Ginny cut her off.

"So, what brings you out here? I thought you would be doing...other things," Ginny said as casually as possible, but knowing she failed miserably when she struggled for the appropriate words.

"Don't change the subject," Hermione said curtly as her gaze remained locked upon Ginny's.

"What's the big deal? Just answer me," Ginny replied in a calm voice.

"Don't change the subject," Hermione repeated, her voice rising.

"Just answer me," Ginny repeated in a tired and irritated tone, refusing to back down under Hermione's harsh stare. A twinge of satisfaction made itself known within her as the older girl broke their eye contact and huffed impatiently.

"You can't honestly expect that I would just ignore the way you left. That and it was either me or your mother who was coming out here to get you."

The redhead rolled her eyes. Her mother might've actually been the better option today.

Ginny's defensive front began to build as she recalled Hermione receiving a letter from Mandy. The whole thing was just too new and too painful for Ginny to deal with right now. She had to get away.

"I don't need you to come out here and check up on me. I'm not a child," Ginny stated firmly.

She was sure that Hermione would detect the burgeoning antagonism that lurked underneath, but Ginny supposed that was half the point. Her mind was in chaos and she just didn't know how to sort through it appropriately or if she even wanted to.

"I was worried about you," the brunette responded, her voice rising once again.

Ginny scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Right. 'Cause you're my friend."

A look of hurt crossed the brunette's face and when she spoke, her voice was meek. "I am..."

Something about the older girl's confirmation made Ginny's emotions erupt. With a hint of self-awareness and a mass of self-reproach she blurted out, "Go. Get out of here. I don't want to see you."

The stricken expression on Hermione's face magnified and her mouth fell agape for a split second before she clamped it shut, visibly setting her jaw. Seeing the brunette's eyes fill with tears made Ginny feel like such a wretch, but backing down wouldn't do her any good. Hermione was still just a friend, still with someone else, and still so far away.

"Go," she repeated. It took great concentration to keep her voice from betraying her. But when she spoke again, she felt her stoic expression falter and her voice was regretful and sad. "I just don't want to see you. Not right now."

When Hermione blinked, tears began to fall down her cheeks, but Ginny could tell that she was trying incredibly hard to not let her emotions get the better of her. Despite what she just said, the redhead dreaded Hermione's inevitable departure. She didn't really want her to leave...not truly.

To her surprise, Hermione spoke.

"Everything's such a mess."

Ginny's own anger and hurt melted away as the brunette's dejected and broken voice shook her to the very core. More tears began to fall down Hermione's face, the girl now seemingly unable to hold them back as she dropped Ginny's gaze and turned away.

"Mione, please," the younger girl pleaded quietly - shockingly feeling no shame or apprehension over it. She closed the space between them and pulled Hermione towards her in a hug. Relief washed through her as the brunette readily accepted the embrace and cried harder, her arms slowly coming up around the back of Ginny's neck.

Ginny's heart ached desperately as she held her love in her arms. It pained her to see Hermione like this and she wished she could make it better. It took all her will power to not kiss the top of the brunette's soft curls.

"_I love you._" The words were on the tip of Ginny's tongue, but she bit them back.

"It's going to be okay," Ginny said softly. For a few seconds, all she could feel was the brunette's shoulders hitching as she breathed, but eventually she felt Hermione nod against her.

Confusion and loss enveloped Ginny as Hermione pulled away and looked her in the eye.

"I have to go. B-"

All the hurt and anger that had seemingly disappeared, roared back to life within the redhead as Hermione's rejection stung and reverberated. Ginny stared harshly at the girl and felt herself losing control.

"Fine," she seethed as she spun on her heel and marched over to the broom she had discarded earlier.

"Gin, you don't u-"

"I just-" A side of Ginny tried to stop herself, but ultimately she resigned and decided that there was no reason to fight it anymore. This reckless abandon had been tugging at her before, and now it was time to give in.

"I just always thought-" Ginny abruptly cut herself off as she felt emotion rushing upward.

"Ginny, please-" Hermione started towards Ginny, her hand reaching out, but the gesture did nothing more than further ignite Ginny's anger. She shot the brunette a look that stopped the girl dead in her tracks.

Ginny let out a shuddering breath before continuing on. "I just always thought, somewhere in the back of my mind, that if you were ever going to be with a girl...it would be me. It just hurts like Hell," Ginny confessed, her voice cracking at the very end.

She let out a growl; furious with herself for getting emotional and hurriedly picked up the broom that lay at her feet.

"Gin-"

"-I'm happy for you, Hermione. Truly. I know I don't seem it now, but I am, or at least I will be," Ginny said much more evenly as she looked back at Hermione. "Mandy's a really sweet girl, she's smart, she's going places. You guys are good together. I'm sorry that I'm selfish sometimes. I'll stop being stupid someday, I swear," Ginny finished with an empty laugh and a wink as she kicked off. "It's just, it's always been you. It was never Demelza or any other girl, it was always you.

I'm sorry I keep making you cry. I never mean to," she said quietly as she flew a few more feet into the air. "I just need to be alone for a bit. I'll see you later."

"Ginny, wait! Please listen!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Ginny saw Hermione running to where she'd been a moment ago. The older girl pulled out her wand and pointed it, but she slowly put it away without any further action.

Without another thought, Ginny leaned forward and flew away, leaving a disheveled Hermione behind.

"I love you!"

* * *

The phrase rang through Ginny's ears and took a few seconds to really settle in. Ginny had flown on auto-pilot before, but she guessed that her mind and body experienced total shutdown this time when she suddenly felt weightlessness followed by a wave of extreme pain. She struggled to breathe for a moment, the wind knocked out of her as she stared up at the gray sky. She had barely regained her breath when Hermione dropped down next to her in a panic.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked, her voice high and unsteady. "Where does it hurt? Don't move - I'll go get someone."

"W-what did you say?" Ginny choked out.

Hermione completely ignored Ginny's question and continued to examine her.

"Don't try to sit up," she ordered, her voice still tense. "Just tell me what hurts."

Ignoring the pain, and Hermione's advice, Ginny sat up and stared intensely at the brunette.

"No. What did you say? Did you mean it?" Ginny demanded, not at all fazed by the level of desperation in her voice.

Hermione squared her shoulders and sat back a bit, clearing her throat as her eyes wandered briefly before settling on Ginny.

"Did you mean what **you** said?" Hermione asked evenly while she eyed the younger girl intently, waiting for a response.

The question lingered in Ginny's mind as she tried to decipher just what the brunette was talking about. Ginny shook her head in confusion and winced as pain resonated through her head almost instantly. Before she could register much of anything, Hermione's gentle hand was on her arm – the action confused Ginny furthermore.

"What?" She asked exasperatedly.

Hermione huffed with a dissatisfied frown before speaking in a hesitant voice. "You know, that it was me...not Demelza or someone else."

Ginny looked into Hermione's eyes and tried to determine what was going on behind them in that busy mind of hers. How could someone so smart be so damn clueless?

"Yes, I meant it. It's been you for years." Ginny spoke the words with quiet confidence and felt a level of such certainty that she'd only experienced a handful of times in her life. "Now," she went on in a much firmer tone, her demeanour changing, "did you mean what you said? If you want to take it back, now is the time."

Hermione's features softened and her dark eyes, still red from before, began to well with fresh tears.

"Of course I meant it. How could I not?" Her smile wavered and then faded as she shook her head. "You're my Ginny. And I love you."

The redhead's breath caught in her throat as Hermione's words hit her system. A moment passed and the brunette laughed softly through a couple of tears that had begun to fall down her cheeks. Ginny was still trying to process Hermione's admission and only vaguely noted that the girl blinked a few times in an attempt to compose herself, and began to speak.

"So, how come y-"

Ginny coughed. Not exactly the smooth reaction she had been hoping for, but her body didn't give her a choice. She cleared her throat and continued to scrutinize Hermione in an attempt to gauge if this was real or not.

"Well, what about Mandy?" Ginny asked, once more bewildered and still refusing to get her hopes up. She was temporarily unconcerned about the fact that she just cut the brunette off. Right now, Ginny needed her questions answered.

Hermione dropped their eye contact and shook her head. Alarms went off in Ginny's mind, so she was surprised that when the brunette locked eyes with her again, her gaze was warm and she had a bit of a crooked smile on her face.

"I'm sorry. I...I thought you were in love with Demelza. When we left school you were still together. And I knew that Mandy liked me, and well, I don't know, she was...safe, and she cared for me. So, shortly after we left school, her and I started dating. It hasn't been anything overly serious though, I mean, I was away for half the summer anyway," Hermione explained. "Do you think I'm a terrible person?"

"No!" Ginny exclaimed a little bit more adamantly than she'd intended. "No," she repeated.

"And," Hermione added, straightening her shoulders and looking rather patronizing, "if you had let me speak earlier, you would have known that I was leaving to go break up with Mandy."

Ginny felt her cheeks burning red and she looked away, embarrassment overriding her shock somehow.

"However," Hermione went on, her voice teasing, "I suppose it worked out just as well. Your temper kind of made things fall into place this time around." Ginny gave her a brief smirk, still too embarrassed to really mean it.

The brunette readjusted her position on the ground and she looked contemplative as she spoke. "I just-when you told me to leave...the pain in your eyes...and the way you held me, and the emotions I felt as we hugged...," she sighed with a frown. Her gaze fell momentarily and when she met the redhead's eyes once more, her voice and expression were embodied with determination. "There was no way I could be with Mandy. I can't change how I feel about you, and I don't want to. And there's no way I can fool myself into thinking that I can feel this way about someone else. I wanted to break up with her before I said anything to you."

Ginny just stared blankly at Hermione. This just couldn't be real – it just couldn't.

"I don't-I...," Ginny stumbled over her words as her mind tried to process everything that was going on. "How? When? I'm just...so confused. I don't understand."

The brunette sighed heavily and shot Ginny a look.

"What part don't you get?"

"Everything," Ginny responded in mild exasperation. "Last night you were holding hands with Mandy, getting owls from her this morning...I just don't know how this all happened," she stated wearily.

"I hardly know, myself," Hermione answered. "But, I've liked you...loved you...for a long time."

Ginny frowned at Hermione's cryptic admission, though some part of her was doing cartwheels over the fact that Hermione just said, again, that she loved her.

"Define how long," Ginny insisted.

"Um, well, over a year...I already liked you when you came out to me," Hermione explained quietly as she began to twiddle her fingers.

"What."

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked, concern now lacing her voice as her eyes began to rapidly scan Ginny's body, presumably looking for injuries.

"You liked me even back then, and you didn't say anything?" Ginny exclaimed.

"You didn't say anything either!" Hermione argued. "You listed off the girls you liked and I wasn't one of them."

"Oh, come off it," Ginny reproached.

"And then, when I thought that things were progressing between us, I found out that you were already with Demelza," Hermione continued sternly.

"What? When was this?" Ginny questioned as she arched an eyebrow at the brunette who was now in debate mode.

"Christmas," Hermione declared with a firm nod. "I-" she stopped herself momentarily and her face grew red before forging on. "I saw her letter to you."

"Huh?" Ginny asked in confusion.

"The letter!" Hermione cried as she threw her arms out before calmly pulling them back in and folding her hands neatly in her lap. "She said that she missed you, and that you had met her parents and they loved you and she," the brunette made a face, "she sent you hugs and kisses..."

Ginny searched her mind for a moment before settling on the memory. "Ohhh," she said in realization as her demeanour relaxed.

"Yes, that," Hermione affirmed flatly.

"All of this bullshit," Ginny repressed a laugh at the disapproving look Hermione gave her, "sorry, all of this...mess...because of that?"

"And you kept hiding the letters. Plus, she had her arm around you after practice, that kiss in the hall, and you two looked cozy after the match against Hufflepuff before you came up to see me...," she trailed off. "So...you weren't together?" She asked tentatively, the apprehension clear on her face.

"No."

Hermione looked panicked and stared absently at the ground behind Ginny – the brunette's mind likely careening through the aftermath of this discovery. Suddenly, she snapped her gaze towards Ginny and shot her an accusatory glare. "Well, what was I supposed to think?"

"Hermione," Ginny sat forward a bit more and looked earnestly at the brunette, "I never had anything with Demelza before that night. I guess seeing that from your point of view though, it does look a bit suspicious, but honestly, that's just how Demelza was with me. I didn't really care."

Hermione looked uncertain and questioned further. "Well, even if so," she gave Ginny another look, "I came to talk to you the next day and she was in your lap." A pained look flashed across her face at the recollection. "I didn't have a chance to really ask you for the facts. I was going to that night."

Ginny groaned and let her head fall into her hand, the action causing her headache to flare up.

"So, you dated Demelza because...," Hermione trailed off, though her expression was knowing.

"Because I thought you hated me. Or at the very least, didn't have the slightest inclination towards dating me," Ginny finished the brunette's thought. Hermione gave a slow nod of her head before the redhead went on. "It meant nothing from the start, and I'm a prat for doing that to her, but I was just so...lost and hurt."

"I'm so sorry, Gin. I didn't hate you at all, you have no idea how much I wanted your confession to be true," Hermione professed in a rather chastened manner. "But, I honestly thought that you were with Demelza already and were, I don't know...just," she frowned in concentration, presumably looking for the right descriptor. When she found what she was looking for, the brunette's features fell and she sighed. "Just...playing me for a fool."

Ginny was about to argue, quite forcefully, too, when Hermione continued.

"I was going to ask you why you dated Demelza if you liked me, but I suppose that explains it," she trailed off momentarily. "I guess I was really...threatened, by her," Hermione confessed a little sheepishly. "Everyone kept going on about how amazing you two would be together. I just couldn't believe that you'd like me." Hermione's gaze dropped before she looked at Ginny with such sad, apologetic eyes. "This is all my fault, isn't it?"

This turn of events just boggled Ginny's mind. For all she knew, she could actually just be unconscious and making this all up. She tried to comprehend the bounty of revelations that had just been dropped upon her and she doubled over in laughter.

Hermione sniffled and looked very concerned. "Why are you laughing?"

Between laughs, Ginny attempted to speak but didn't have much luck initially.

"Ginny, please," Hermione begged, clearly growing more worried. "I just told you I love you and you're laughing at me."

A few more laughs escaped Ginny's mouth before she finally succeeded in subduing herself. "I always thought that you and I were supposed to be the level-headed, reasonable ones in the group. But, apparently, I might have to reassess that." She grinned at Hermione, but the poor girl looked horribly unconvinced and rather morose.

"And," Ginny continued, her voice now serious as she locked eyes with the brunette, "don't ever talk about yourself like that. Wouldn't everyone be so shocked to learn that the great Hermione Granger has doubts," Ginny joked, but quickly saw that her attempt to make light of the situation wasn't flying with the brunette. Growing serious once more, Ginny said, "I think you're amazing – every single thing about you."

The younger girl was slightly surprised to see that Hermione's expression didn't really change. Well, she'd have to do something about that.

Forcing herself not to think, Ginny leaned forward and captured Hermione's pouty, unsuspecting lips with her own. The kiss was gentle and tentative. Hermione's lips were soft and they tasted sweet. It felt like fireworks were going off in Ginny's head when Hermione deepened the kiss. Ginny brought her hand up and ran it through Hermione's hair the way that she had been wanting to for years. Soon, she felt Hermione's hand gently cupping her face, the brunette letting her fingers slowly trail down Ginny's jaw line.

Ginny focused on every detail of this exchange, wanting to commit every breath, every touch, every heartbeat to memory – it was everything she had imagined it would be.

When they finally broke the kiss, Hermione looked out of breath, but she smiled warmly at Ginny. The younger girl couldn't resist the smile that tugged at her own lips - not that she wanted to.

"I love you," Ginny said.

"Ginny," the brunette whispered, her voice tight with emotion as she abruptly leaned forward and surprised Ginny by pulling her into a fierce hug. The redhead laughed affectionately, having surprisingly little trouble ignoring the pain from her earlier fall. She put her arms around the smaller girl and felt her relax into the embrace. As Hermione buried her head in the crook of Ginny's neck and laughed softly, Ginny felt a few stray tears fall on her collarbone. She would've normally been concerned, but she just somehow knew that for a change, these weren't tears of sadness.

"Oh Hermione," Ginny laughed softly as she pulled the brunette closer to her. Hermione could be so emotional sometimes – though, considering today's events, the highs and lows were warranted.

Hermione laughed again and tightened their embrace. Ginny caressed her back, and rocked her gently while she planted soft kisses on the top of the brunette's head.

"I'm sorry," Hermione sniffled as she reluctantly pulled her head off of Ginny's shoulder.

"Don't apologize," Ginny smiled kindly as she brought a hand up to brush some hair out of Hermione's face.

A stray tear fell as Hermione blinked and she looked away briefly, seeming self-conscious. Ginny studied her for a moment and when the girl looked back, she reddened under Ginny's gaze. The brunette looked like she was about to speak, but Ginny leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek where the tear had just fallen.

"I've always wanted to do that," Ginny blushed.

"I love you, Gin," Hermione smiled.

"I love you, too."

A look of confusion crossed Ginny's face as Hermione released a shuddering breath, looking anxious rather than dazed or elated.

"What's wrong?" Ginny asked as she sat up further and eyed the brunette in quiet alarm.

"That was bad," Hermione stated nervously as she wrung her hands together.

"What?" Ginny asked, growing more exasperated.

Hermione cracked a faint, wry smirk. "Well, it was great. But, um, I'm still with Mandy...don't take that the wrong way," she said hurriedly as she placed her hands gently upon Ginny's arm and gave her an imploring look. "I just don't want to do anything...you know, I would never-"

Ginny effectively quieted Hermione's babbling by kissing the brunette once more. When she pulled back, Hermione appeared stunned and even partially offended.

"Gin, please, I'm trying to be good here," the brunette whined.

Ginny let a smile cross her lips as she rolled her eyes. She really did appreciate Hermione's sentiments, but honestly, after waiting for this long, there was no way the redhead was going to pass up the opportunities that had presented themselves oh so temptingly in the past few minutes.

She just had to tease the older girl furthermore.

"It's okay to break the rules sometimes," she smirked. She laughed out loud as Hermione shot her a look of complete appall.

"I sincerely hope that you wouldn't have that belief if you and I were together," Hermione warned.

Ginny couldn't help herself. "You're the bad one, not me."

Hermione looked absolutely sick and protested quite fervently. "Oh God, Ginny, please, I would never do that to you. I just-"

"Shh," Ginny laughed. "Calm down, it's okay. I'm just giving you a hard time."

"It's not funny," Hermione said, still looking distraught.

Impulsively, Ginny leaned forward and captured Hermione's lips in a fleeting kiss. She did her best not to smile at the small noise of discontent the brunette made, though her lips followed Ginny's as the redhead broke their kiss.

"Well," Ginny said evenly, "I guess you better go solve this little dilemma."

Hermione gave her an eager nod. "Thank you for understanding." She paused before blushing. "I love you...very much."

Ginny smiled, all teasing and jest gone. "I love you, too."

It felt incredible to just be able to say what she had thought a million times over in her head – the truth was a very beautiful thing.

**AN**: I'm not done **quite** yet - very close though. Regardless, thank you to everyone who sat through the 16 chapters of torture - I do hope you weren't disappointed by how they finally came together. Big, big thanks to everyone for their reviews, alerts, favs - the support has been so generous and I can't tell you how appreciative I am of it. I hope everyone has been enjoying their holidays :)


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

**_Hermione POV_**

Another rush of relief washed over Hermione as Ginny's words settled in again.

"_I love you, too_."

It felt like they had finally reached the shore after a very long, tumultuous journey. She smiled fondly at the girl across from her, having a hard time convincing herself that this was real.

"You had quite a fall, are you sure you're okay? We should probably get you inside," Hermione stated, concern creeping back in as she spotted the battered broom lying on the ground a few feet away.

"Oh, yeah," Ginny remarked a little absently as she turned her head to also lay eyes on the broom. "How embarrassing."

"No, I'm just glad you're okay," Hermione said as she inched towards Ginny and held her hand, noting in some level of her mind that the girl's bruise had very nearly faded away.

Hermione let out a slight gasp as Ginny tugged on her hand and leaned in to capture her lips once more, this time in an even more impassioned kiss. Being caught off guard, Hermione couldn't gather up the control in time to stop herself from moaning into Ginny's mouth.

The reaction must have encouraged the redhead because she pulled Hermione closer towards her, much to the brunette's delight despite her recent protesting, and Ginny's hands wandered just a little.

When Ginny pulled away, her eyes were smoldering and Hermione felt a bit star-struck. She couldn't believe that she was reacting this way. So all those romance novels hadn't lied...

Quickly, the fire in Ginny's eyes died and she gave Hermione a serious look. "So, you're sure this is what you want?" she asked.

Hermione's forehead creased in question.

Ginny's previous confidence faded as she eyed Hermione nervously. "Well," the younger girl paused, her eyes wandering away, "Me?"

Hermione laughed easily as Ginny's words settled in - affection for the redhead growing even more. Hermione quickly brought her hand up to gently cup Ginny's face once more, seeing the irritated look on the girl's face. "Of course - a hundred times over. Let's head inside. I'll go to Mandy's place right now, explain everything and break it off with her. I feel really badly for leading her on, I didn't intend to hurt her...but, I guess it happened anyway. I hope she isn't too upset..."

"Will you be okay?" Ginny asked.

Hermione smiled and gave Ginny an impulsive kiss – a new form of thanking the younger witch for her concern. She laughed lightly at the look of astonishment on Ginny's face.

"I'll be fine," Hermione promised. "I just hope you don't think too terribly of me for creating this huge mess."

"It's pretty hard to hate you right now," Ginny laughed. "And you didn't create this mess single-handedly, you know, there were a lot of factors involved here," she went on sincerely.

Hermione gave Ginny a weak smile of appreciation before saying, "Well, once I speak with Mandy, I can properly ask you out." She smirked. "I've been a really shoddy girlfriend. I hope you know you can expect more from me."

Ginny returned Hermione's smirk. "I wasn't a saint either, but I think we'll be okay."

Hermione gave Ginny another hug before reluctantly pulling away.

Ginny rose from her spot and offered her hand to Hermione, which she took happily. As she stood, the two looked at each other and Hermione didn't feel the sort of discomfort that they'd been riddled with for so long.

They began to walk back to the Burrow and a jolt coursed through Hermione's body as Ginny took her hand in her own.

"So, I have to ask," Ginny started, "if you're into girls, how come you never told Harry or Ron? And did you keep all of this," she gestured between them, "to yourself the entire time?"

Hermione sighed heavily, but flashed Ginny a small smile. "Yes, I kept it to myself. It wasn't easy. And I never told Harry and Ron because it's not exactly their business." She felt Ginny giving her a cursory glance. "I don't know, telling Ron, who used to like me, that I'm hopelessly in love with his little sister? And telling Harry, who had a crush on you, the same? Such a messy situation. Sure, Harry's with Luna now, but heaven knows that those boys gossip among one another as much as my roommates do," she chuckled lightly, but soon the laugh faded. "Also, I didn't want to be humiliated in case nothing ever happened between the two of us."

Ginny nodded. "Well, they know how I feel about you." Hermione's eyes widened in surprise as she quickly riffled through her mind for any signs of the two knowing. "Would've been loads easier if I had told Ron and you had told Harry, then they could've done the communicating for us and we would've been good to go," Ginny chuckled, though Hermione had the feeling that she was being somewhat serious.

"Well, the important part is that we finally got it sorted out," Hermione encouraged.

"True," Ginny conceded. "I'll have to thank Luna for her odd sort of intervention. And Merlin, I might almost have to thank Malfoy. He kind of played a part in this didn't he?"

"Let's just ignore the latter," Hermione giggled and cuddled close to Ginny as they walked, all conviction against this type of behaviour taking place while still dating Mandy, as good as forgotten. She smiled as Ginny leaned over briefly and kissed her head.

"I can't believe this," Ginny breathed. "I'm afraid to go to sleep tonight. I'm afraid that when I wake up tomorrow I'll learn that this was just another dream."

"I know what you mean," Hermione agreed as she stared off at the Burrow. They had danced circles around each other for over a year and now that they were together, it just felt too good to be true.

When they reached the Burrow, Ginny walked with Hermione to the fireplace, she was about to say a temporary goodbye when they heard Mrs. Weasley coming down the stairs in a hurry. The girls instantly dropped their hands from one another and Hermione looked to Ginny in mild panic, seeing that she wasn't faring any better.

"Ginny," Mrs. Weasley called, and Hermione knew immediately that the matriarch was still upset. She rounded the corner and said Ginny's name again in a stern tone. Ginny, who had her back to her mother, slowly turned on the spot and gave her mother an uneasy smile.

"Yes, Mum?"

"Ginny, I do **not** appreciate the way you exited this household earlier. There will be no more tantrums like that, do you hear me? I've had enough of them from your brothers over the years, I don't need them from you, too," she firmly stated as she stood with her hands on her hips.

"Yes, Mum. I'm sorry."

Seeing that Mrs. Weasley doubted her daughter, Hermione stepped out from behind Ginny to stand beside her.

"Yes, Mrs. Weasley, I spoke with Ginny about it. Everything's been sorted out, and it's all better now," she explained with a confident nod as she attempted to channel her inner-prefect.

"Alright, fine. Okay, well, carry on." She waved them off as she retreated to another room.

Ginny stiffly turned to Hermione, her eyes still wide, and released a heavy sigh. "Thanks, I thought she was going to have my head."

"No," Hermione said as she was distracted by a piece of grass on Ginny's shirt near her shoulder that she just had to do away with, being sure to take her time and letting her fingers linger.

"Well, guess I should take care of this now," Hermione continued as she glanced at the fireplace. "You'll be here when I get back?"

"Of course," Ginny smiled. She paused briefly before adding on, "You know you don't have to do this today. It's fine."

Hermione shook her head. "No, it's been going on too long. And I don't think I could sleep at all tonight if I didn't do this."

"Okay," Ginny nodded. "I'll wait here for you."

"Thank you," Hermione smiled. She glanced quickly around the room for any sign of Mrs. Weasley and when she felt assured that the coast was clear, she gave Ginny another quick kiss. When the brunette pulled back, she exhaled slowly and absently noted how her heart beat with such excitement that she half expected it to burst. She inwardly chided herself for being so...juvenile. But God, it felt so good. If she thought the emotions were powerful before, now that she had given into them they were simply overwhelming. She never thought she could feel this way about anyone.

Hermione turned to leave and she felt Ginny's hand leaving her grasp. Before Ginny's fingers fell away, she felt Ginny grasp her hand again and tug, causing Hermione to turn and fall into the redhead only to be swept up in a long kiss.

Ginny pulled back, still holding onto Hermione and the brunette blinked in a daze as she looked up at the younger girl. "Wow," Hermione breathed, before her mind could tell her to be quiet.

Ginny grinned sheepishly and let go of Hermione to hide her own hands behind her back. "Okay, I'm done now. Sorry about that."

Hermione didn't think, she just launched herself at Ginny. She grabbed the girl by the front of her shirt and placed her other hand on the back of Ginny's neck, pulling the redhead into a steamy kiss. As Ginny began to return the kiss, Hermione deepened it and pressed herself against the other girl, loving how the redhead's toned body felt against her own. Hermione surprised herself when she bit down lightly on Ginny's lower lip and gave it a gentle tug.

The walls of the dam holding back Hermione's wants and desires had certainly cracked.

Hermione came back to her senses and pulled out of the kiss slowly. Before letting go of Ginny she leaned back in once more and gave her love a soft, lingering kiss.

Ginny stood there, looking stunned and seemed to nearly struggle with her balance. Eventually she smiled goofily. "I always knew you had it in you," Ginny said a moment later in a bit of a daze as she wagged her finger at Hermione. "I'll see you later," she called lightly as she walked away in a manner strangely reminiscent of Luna.

Hermione smiled as her heart swelled with adoration for the redhead. She let her eyes follow the departing girl for a moment longer before she grasped a handful of floo powder and stepped into the fireplace.

* * *

A short while later, Hermione landed in the Burrow fireplace once more.

She stepped out, blinking through the blaze of green to see Ron and Harry sitting at the table playing chess.

"Hello," Hermione greeted enthusiastically as she pulled up a chair and sat down with them. She didn't notice how they didn't respond, too distracted instead by looking for any sign of her favourite redhead. "Have you seen Ginny?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Ron spat as he set down a pawn rather heavily on the board.

"What?" Hermione asked, turning her attention to the boy, momentarily confused by his attitude.

"I don't know how you can stay here, knowing how Ginny feels for you, but cavorting with Mandy instead," he said in a low voice as he lifted his gaze to meet hers.

"Wh-Oh, I see," Hermione nodded. "Look, I understand why you're mad. Please hear me out though, there were a lot of misunderstandings between Ginny and I-" Ron scoffed "-but we worked things out. In fact, I just came back from Mandy's-"

"You've got to be kidding!" Ron exclaimed as he turned a severe glare her way. "You've got a lot of nerve-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa."

Ginny's voice broke through the exchange and Hermione was filled with relief. She turned to see Ginny coming down the stairs and gave the girl a grateful smile. Though Hermione was more than capable of handling Ron on her own, she was grateful to see the younger girl, regardless.

"What's going on here?" Ginny asked as she came up behind Hermione's chair and rest her hands on the back of it.

"Hermione was just at Mandy's house," Ron declared, standing up and looking rather proud of himself.

"Okay," Ginny shrugged.

"Well!" Ron said, clearly perplexed by Ginny's lack of reaction. "You saw those two at the Cauldron!"

"Ron," Hermione cut in, "if you had let me finish my story you would know that I was at Mandy's to break up with her."

"You- what?" He asked, still a little confounded.

"I didn't know they were back," Ginny said as she looked to Hermione. "Didn't have a chance to tell them. Are you okay? Did everything go alright?"

Hermione smiled up at Ginny, responding, "I'm great. All things considered, it went well. You know what this means, now I can ask y-"

"Tell us what? Did what go alright?" Ron asked, still puzzled and clearly not caring that he interrupted the brunette.

"I think they worked things out, mate," Harry said with a restrained grin as he exchanged looks with Hermione and Ginny.

"Well, I-I know," Ron sputtered as he sat down again. "I was just, testing you," he nodded towards Hermione. "Only the best for my sister, y'know."

Ginny let out an amused laugh and walked over to Ron, giving him a brief hug. "Thanks, Ron. For everything."

"Right," Ron replied with an uneasy nod and moved another player on the board despite it not being his move.

"Good," Hermione laughed. "And if I ever hurt Ginny again, you have my permission to curse me."

"Can I curse you, too, if you hurt Hermione?" He asked Ginny with an innocent smile.

"Good luck with that," Ginny laughed. "But sure, cursing all around!"

Ron shook his head and his eyes shifted between Hermione and Ginny.

"I just can't believe it. I can't believe it." Ron threw he head back and gestured to the ceiling or some higher power. "Finally! Bloody Hell, for a while there I thought I'd just have to bury you two next to one another at the end of your lives and that'd be as close as you'd get."

Hermione gave Ron a look of disgust, but still smiled a moment later. Ginny just covered her face with her hand and shook her head.

"You are beyond strange," she laughed. "Thanks to both of you though."

"We didn't do much," Harry insisted modestly.

"Believe me," Ron said, returning Ginny's look, "we were doing it for ourselves, not you. You know how dreadful it is watching you two stare longingly at each other from across the room and mope about? It's downright depressing."

Hermione and Ginny looked at one another and laughed.

"And you," Ron looked up at Hermione once more, "your stupid cat's been rummaging around in my room – tore up a pair of my pants!"

"He probably just couldn't stand the foul smell," Hermione remarked.

"Oi! I do laundry," Ron asserted, looking offended.

"Correction, Mum does your laundry," Ginny winked.

Ron responded with a grumble and moved another piece on the board. "Still, vicious creature."

A tuft of orange appeared in the periphery of Hermione's vision and she looked under the table to see Crookshanks eyeing Ron's feet. Before she could say something, Crookshanks started to bat at Ron's bobbing feet.

"Ah!" Ron exclaimed as he kicked violently in alarm.

"Hey! Be careful," Hermione said as she got up from her seat to find Crookshanks, who had scurried off.

"See! He's a monster," Ron cried in disbelief.

"This little guy?"

Hermione turned to see Ginny bending down to pick up Crookshooks. He purred contently and nuzzled his head against her neck, eliciting a giggle out of the youngest Weasley.

"Of course he likes **you**," Ron muttered.

Hermione beamed as she padded over to Ginny and gently took the cat from her, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek in the process.

"Did that mean old Ron hurt you, Crookshanks?" Hermione cooed as she held the cat to her.

"Ugh," Ron groaned.

"What now?" Ginny complained, though she laughed slightly upon seeing Harry holding back his fits of laughter.

"Now I have to see you two snogging," he said with mild disgust. "It's a little frightening and disturbing."

"Keep your voice down," Ginny whispered. "Mum doesn't know."

"Oh, that'll be fun," Ron rolled his eyes. He received another look from Ginny and he nodded, "She won't hear anything from me."

"I owe you," Ginny smirked.

"I'll say," Ron said as he moved another chess piece.

"It's not your turn!" Harry exclaimed with a laugh.

"Well, Hell, my sister and my best friend are," he leaned in a whispered conspiratorially, "snogging," he leaned back and carried on in his usual voice, "I'm trying to cope here!"

"Alright, boys, we'll leave you to bicker," Ginny laughed. "See you later."

"Have fun," the boys sang in unison, earning mild looks of outrage from Hermione and Ginny.

"You have fun, too," Ginny called back as she grasped Hermione's hand and pulled her up the stairs in a bit of a jog.

They entered Ginny's room, still laughing at the boys' reaction to Ginny's teasing. Their laughter eventually faded and they stood looking at each other, but Hermione didn't feel uncomfortable - she felt great.

"I believe you were going to ask me something downstairs," Ginny stated with a bit of a teasing smile.

Hermione considered tormenting Ginny a bit and acting clueless, but just couldn't bring herself to do it. Instead, she said, "I believe I was going to ask if you wanted to go out with me on Saturday - as my girlfriend," all the while returning Ginny's teasing smile and mannerisms.

"No."

Ginny's reply was flat and so serious that it made Hermione's breath catch. She didn't even immediately notice the look of horror on her own face, a look that Ginny seemed to find amusing. Hermione wasn't provided enough room to protest when Ginny took a step forward, a mischievous glint now in her eyes.

"Saturday's too far away - Wednesday," the younger girl proclaimed with a nod.

Hermione released the breath she had been holding and shot a look toward the cheeky redhead. "Bossy," she stated in a flat voice that mimicked Ginny's earlier one. The comment spurred a look of disbelief from the redhead as she stood there with her mouth agape and her eyes wide.

"You think **I'm** bossy?" Ginny asked as her look of disbelief turned accusatory. Now it was Hermione's turn to be offended.

"Well you certainly can't think that **I'm **bossy," she scoffed. Ginny just eyed her evenly, a hint of a smirk tugging at the redhead's tempting lips. Hermione chose to ignore the lack of response - for now, anyway.

"I believe it's supposed to rain on Wednesday. Perhaps Monday would be better," the brunette carried on in a light voice. A quiet smile crept across her lips as Ginny closed the space between them and they put their arms around one another, Hermione tilting her head up to kiss the younger girl softly. It was amazing how natural it felt.

"I'm glad you came here this summer," Ginny stated.

Hermione nodded in agreement, not wanting to think too much about what would have happened if she hadn't come. Instead, she thought about the year ahead of them.

"I think this year is going to be much different, and much better."

"Agreed."

**AN**: Well, that's it! Thank you so much to absolutely everyone who took the time to read this story. I had a wonderful time writing it and the fact that anyone else enjoyed it at all is immensely rewarding. Now, I had such a great time writing this that...I just couldn't really stop. Yes, this story is done, but a sequel is on its way. Ugh - sequel! I truly hope that the notion is of some interest to you and that you give it a chance. With any luck, you will enjoy it as much, or perhaps more than this story. No promises though ;) Anyway, it is different enough from this story (and long enough), that it warrants its own separate posting. What I can promise you though, is that there will still be lots of Hermione/Ginny action and that their relationship will be tested, and perhaps in ways that some would not expect. I intend to post the first chapter in the next couple of weeks. I hope to see you all there ;)

Again, thank you so incredibly much for the generous support of this story. There are no words to describe how in awe I am - just...thank you. I hope you all enjoyed the ride. Take care, everyone.


	19. Author's Note

Hello all!

This is my absolutely shameless plug for the sequel to "So Close Yet So Far". It is titled "Illusions" and should soon be available by search, if not already.

Again, big thanks for the tremendous support of "So Close Yet So Far". If you enjoyed the story, I am exceedingly happy. If you give the sequel a chance, I'm also exceedingly happy, and if you enjoy the sequel even half as much as this story, then I am ecstatic.

Regardless, thank you for everyone's time (and please forgive me for the self-promotion).

Spectrum24


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